Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect officially launched on Dec. 5, 2016 and Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) and Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE) simultaneously held launch ceremonies. At the ceremony of Shenzhen bourse, Mr. Hu Chunhua, member of Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, and Mr. Liu Shiyu, Secretary of CSRC Party Committee and Chairman of CSRC beat the gong to mark the market opening on the launch day of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect. Mr. Liu Shiyu, Mr. Ma Xingrui, Deputy Secretary of Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee, and Mr. Wu Lijun, President of SZSE Council, addressed the ceremony in succession. On the site, Shenzhen and Hong Kong bourses made video contact.
Liu said that launching Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect on the basis of successful Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect trial is an important decision made by the CPC Central Committee with President Xi Jinping as the core to unswervingly move forward the bilateral opening-up of financial market and a solemn commitment made to the people in the 2016 Report on the Work of the Government. Also, he expressed that only by unswervingly expanding opening-up could the marketized, legalized and internationalized orientation of capital market be kept, the service level of capital market to real economy be enhanced, and the international competitiveness of China's capital market be improved, which is proved in the experience of developing China's capital market. The two links between the mainland and Hong Kong bourses will be flowing rivers that assemble the capital, technologies, information, wisdom and culture of the mainland, Hong Kong and global markets so that they will further benefit the economic development of the mainland, Hong Kong and the world. Financial regulatory institutions in the mainland and Hong Kong will cooperate closely to strengthen their market supervision and cross-border law enforcement and crack down cross- border market manipulation and other illegal behaviors to protect investors' legitimate rights and interests.
According to Mr. Ma Xingrui, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect will exert positive and profound influences on the reform and development of our capital market and will greatly advance the mutual development of financial and securities markets of the mainland and Hong Kong, especially Guangdong and Hong Kong. Guangdong always prioritizes the development of financial and securities industries, making securities and capital markets fully play the role of boosting provincial innovative development and economic transformation and upgrade. In addition, he expressed the hope that financial regulatory authorities and domestic and overseas financial organizations and institutions will take the launch of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect as an opportunity to step up the dual-core dive and benign exchange between financial industry and real economy so as to inject more new energies into regional economy development.
President Wu Lijun indicated that the official launch of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect marks another firm step of our capital market made in the efforts of going international and signals that the mainland and Hong Kong will consolidate cooperation in broader scope, higher level and greater depth to jointly enhance both markets' international competiveness and ability of serving real economy. SZSE will make close cooperation with all parties and spare no efforts in ensuring stable market trading and running. Moreover, it will fully play its front-line regulatory function to crack down market manipulation, insiders trading and other illegal actions to protect domestic and overseas investors' legitimate rights and interests.
Attendees at the ceremony to witness the historic moment include leaders Zhou Bo, Cao Yu, Jiang Yang and Fang Shangpu from relevant state departments; Mr. Ashley Alder, Executive President of Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong and Chairman of International Organization of Securities Commissions; Guangdong provincial leaders Zou Ming and Lan Fo'an; Mayor Xu Qin of Shenzhen Municipality; President Wu Qing of the Council of Shanghai Stock Exchange; as well as representatives of relevant state ministries and departments, Hong Kong governmental departments, securities and futures regulatory system, SSE members, listed companies, domestic and overseas financial institutions and investors, press media, and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect constructers. SZSE General Manager Wang Jianjun and HKSE CEO Li Xiaojia held the ceremonies respectively in Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
