(Beijing) -- Private investors and companies with buyout ambitions are increasingly getting around barriers to traditional financing in China by steering onto the private equity highway.

And many have found a fast lane in the form of PE firms that specialize in buyouts, mergers and acquisitions.

Plans were announced between January and August to launch six buyout funds to raise nearly US$ 3 billion combined, or roughly 18.7 billion yuan, said Zero2IPO Group, an investment services provider. About one-third of that amount had been raised as of September.