BEIJING - China's state planner issued details on Monday on how it would help companies lower their leverage ratios this year, as part of efforts to contain major risks in the economy.

China will support commercial banks to quicken the use of funds released from reserve requirement ratio (RRR) cuts to promote debt-to-equity swaps, and encourage private firms to take part in the swaps to reduce their debt risks, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on its website.

The government will further promote companies' mergers and acquisitions to phase out excess capacity and speed up the elimination of "zombie firms", the NDRC added.

(Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) ((LushaZhang1@thomsonreuters.com; 8610-66271276;))