China has released a new negative list with fewer sectors off limits to foreign investment; Hong Kong’ regulators will now have access to Chinese companies’ audit records; and foreign ownership caps on Chinese financial firms will be lifted by 2020.
The national and FTZ negative lists are downsized relaxing foreign investment in business such as cinema operations, and the new Catalogue of Encouraged Foreign Investment in Industry supports foreign investment in high-end manufacturing.
In a landmark case, an ex-UBS banker was jailed for nine years for cross-border insider trading; the China-Japan ETF Connectivity scheme was launched with four index-tracking ETFs; and the CSRC is considering lifting profitability rules on listed company M&A activities.
CSRC allows funds to participate in short sale of securities, procedures for setting up insurance asset management plans are simplified and enterprise gifts are taxed.
The Shanghai and London stock exchanges’ connect program has finally launched; new rules have been introduced to limit speculative trading of stocks on China’s new technology and innovation board; and the CSRC has urged major brokerages in the China to help smaller operations in the country's non-banking financial sector.
A change in the legal environment of the personal data receiving country will trigger a new security assessment, the CSRC is to revise measures to achieve quality restructurings of listed companies and trademark registration fees are largely reduced.
Alibaba files for Hong Kong listing that could raise $20 billion; China's state planner will encourage more debt-to-equity swaps; insurers likely to be allowed to up investments in Chinese A-shares; and official proposes beefing up penalties for IP violations.
MOFCOM's new Unreliable Entity List is mooted as possible trade war retaliatory tool; Ford's China JV hit with $23.6 million antitrust fine; PBOC may scrap its official benchmark lending rates; and SAFE says overseas digital finance firms must have local permits.
5th generation telecom services are added to the telecom catalogue, consultations are conducted before instituting an environmental legal action and listed companies are required to fully disclose material asset restructuring performance.
