.jpg)
To implement the requirement of the China Securities Regulatory Commission for complete adoption of online voting at shareholders’ meetings of listed companies and further facilitate investors’ voting, the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and its member units have optimized and adjusted the online voting system (OVS) of shareholders’ meetings and added a new online voting platform (website: vote.sseinfo.com). The new OVS will be put into formal use on January 26, 2015, after which investors can still log on to trading terminals of securities companies designated by them for online voting, or log on to the SSE’s newly added online voting platform to vote online after going through verification of shareholder identities.
Based on the aforementioned arrangements, the SSE has revised the “SSE Detailed Rules for Online Voting at Shareholders’ Meetings of Listed Companies” (the “Detailed Rules” for short), making specific provisions on such matters as handling procedures, information disclosure, and voting process of online voting after the new OVS is put into use. The new “Detailed Rules” is hereby released, and shall come into effect on January 26, 2015, with the original “Detailed Rules” repealed simultaneously.
In order to ensure the steady switch between the new OVS and the original one, and the smooth implementation of the new “Detailed Rules”, arrangements for related matters are hereby notified as follows:
I. Arrangements during the parallel operation of the new and original online voting systems.
(1) To ensure a smooth switch, a 3-week parallel operation period is set from January 26 to February 13, 2015. In the period, if an investor’s designated securities company fails to complete upgrading of the OVS timely, the securities company should continue to provide the investor with the online voting service in the form (the original form for short) stipulated in the original “Detailed Rules”; the investor can still submit an instruction of online voting in the original form through the original online voting system of the SSE. If the securities company has completed the system upgrading, the investor can submit an instruction of online voting in the form stipulated in the new “Detailed Rules”.
(2) Prior to the implementation of the new “Detailed Rules”, a listed company, which has released a notice of holding a shareholders’ meeting and chosen the OVS of the SSE as the platform for online voting, should timely disclose a supplementation announcement for its shareholders’ meeting according to the following requirements:
1. A listed company planning to hold a shareholders’ meeting within the parallel operation period should formulate and disclose a supplementation announcement for the shareholders’ meeting in accordance with the new “Detailed Rules” within a time span that is after the beginning of the parallel operation period and before two trading days prior to the date of the shareholders’ meeting. In addition to the disclosure of the contents stipulated in the “SSE No. 94 Format Instruction on Temporary Announcements of Listed Companies: Announcement on Correction and Supplementation of Shareholders’ Meeting of Listed Company”, the supplementation announcement should introduce voting operation procedures of the original OVS, and especially remind investors that they can inquire securities companies designated by them of whether the upgrading of the OVS has been completed and whether instructions of online voting can be submitted in the form stipulated in the new “Detailed Rules”.
2. A listed company planning to hold a shareholders’ meeting after the end of the parallel operation period should formulate and disclose a supplementation announcement for the shareholders’ meeting in accordance with the new “Detailed Rules” before two trading days prior to the end date of the parallel operation period, and remind investors to pay full attention to changes in online voting modes.
(3) The parallel operation period will end on February 14, 2015, after which the use of the original OVS will be halted, and investors can submit instructions of online voting via the new OVS.
II. Relevant requirements after the launch of the new OVS
(1) A listed company should, in accordance with the new “Detailed Rules” and this notice, timely formulate and disclose relevant announcements for the shareholders’ meeting, organize and prepare for online voting, and ensure the accuracy and completeness of the submitted information about online voting.
(2) A securities company should, in accordance with the new “Detailed Rules” and this notice, make technological preparations and inform and remind investors in time, ensure the smooth, safe, and efficient operation of the voting platform of the SSE’s trading system, and facilitate the participation of investors in the online voting.
(3) To correctly exercise their voting right, investors should pay full attention to new changes in the OVS, and carefully read announcements about shareholders’ meetings of listed companies to learn about voting procedures and related requirements of the new OVS. In case of any question, investors can consult listed companies or securities companies designated by them immediately.
In addition, market participants can consult through the hotline if they encounter any technical or business-related issues when using the new OVS. Contact for Technical Consultation: Wang Youjie, Tel: 400-900-3600; Contact for Business Consultation: Zhao Zhigang, Tel: 021-68815375.
