Ping An Insurance (Group) Co, China's second largest insurance company behind China Life, said insurance premiums in the first two months of the year rose to 33.49 billion yuan (US$4.89 billion), an increase of 8 percent over the same period last year.

According to a statement on Thursday, the company's insurance premiums in life, property, health and annuity were 27.32 billion yuan, 5.75 billion yuan, 17.7 million yuan and 412.73 million yuan respectively.

In February, the company's life insurance premiums were 14 billion yuan, up 71 percent year-on-year, while the property insurance premium rose 30 percent to 2.17 billion yuan.

(China Daily March 12, 2009)