BIZCHINA / Finance

Securities Law of the People's Republic of China (revised in 2005)

Updated: 2006-04-18 08:56

(Adopted at the 6th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 9th National People's Congress on December 29, 1998, revised at the 18th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China on October 27, 2005 according to the Decision on Revising the Securities Law of the People's Republic of China as made at the 11th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 10th People's Congress on August 28, 2004)

Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1 The present Law is formulated for the purpose of regulating the issuance and transaction of securities, protecting the lawful rights and interests of investors, safeguarding the economic order and public interests of the society and promoting the growth of the socialist market economy.

Article 2 The present Law shall be applied to the issuance and transaction of stocks, corporate bonds as well as any other securities as lawfully recognized by the State Council within the territory of the People's Republic of China. Where there is no such provision in the present Law, the provisions of the Corporation Law of the People's Republic of China and other relevant laws and administrative regulations shall be applied. Any listed trading of government bonds and share of securities investment funds shall be governed by the present Law. Where there is any special provision in any other law or administrative regulation, the special provision shall prevail. The measures for the administration of issuance and transaction of securities derivatives shall be prescribed by the State Council according to the principles of the present Law.

Article 3 The issuance and transaction of securities shall adhere to the principles of openness, fairness and impartiality.

Article 4 The parties involved in any issuance or transaction of securities shall have equal legal status and shall persist in the principles of free will, compensation and integrity and creditworthy.

Article 5 The issuance and transaction of securities shall observe laws and administrative regulations. No fraud, insider trading or manipulation of the securities market may be permitted.

Article 6 The divided operation and management shall be adopted by the industries of securities, banking, trust as well as insurance. The securities companies and the business organs of banks, trust and insurance shall be established separately, unless otherwise provided for by the state.

Article 7 The securities regulatory authority under the State Council shall adopt a centralized and unified supervision and administration of the national securities market. The securities regulatory authority under the State Council may, in light of the relevant requirements, establish dispatched offices, which shall perform their duties and functions of supervision and administration upon the authorization.

Article 8 Under the centralized and unified supervision and administration of the state regarding the issuance and transaction of securities, a securities industrial association shall be lawfully established, which shall adopt the self-regulating administration.

Article 9 The auditing organ of the state shall carry out auditing supervision of stock exchanges, securities companies, securities registration and clearing institutions and securities regulatory bodies.
 
Chapter II Issuance of Securities

Article 10 A public issuance of securities shall satisfy the requirements of the relevant laws and administrative regulations and shall be reported to the securities regulatory authority under the State Council or a department upon authorization by the State Council for examination and approval according to law. Without any examination and approval according to law, no entity or individual may make a public issuance of any securities. It shall be deemed as a public issuance upon the occurrence of any of the following circumstances:
 (1) Making a public issuance of securities to non-specified objects;
 (2) Making a public issuance of securities to accumulatively more than 200 specified objects; or
 (3) Making a public issuance as prescribed by any law or administrative regulation. For any securities that are not issued in a public manner, the means of advertising, public inducement or public issuance in any disguised form may not be adopted thereto.

Article 11 An issuer that files an application for public issuance of stocks or convertible corporate bonds by means of underwriting according to law or for public issuance of any other securities, to which a recommendation system is applied, as is prescribed by laws and administrative regulations, shall employ an institution with the qualification of recommendation as its recommendation party. A recommendation party shall abide by operational rules and industrial norms and, on the basis of the principles of being honesty, creditworthy, diligent and accountable, carry out a prudent examination of application documents and information disclosure materials of its issuers as well as supervise and urge its issuers to operate in a regulative manner. The qualification of the recommendation party as well as the relevant measures for administration shall be formulated by the securities regulatory authority under the State Council.

Article 12 A public offer of stocks for establishing a stock-limited company shall satisfy the requirements as prescribed in the Corporation Law of the People's Republic of China as well as any other requirements as prescribed by the securities regulatory authority under the State Council, which have been approved by the State Council. An application for public offer of stocks as well as the following documents shall be reported to the securities regulatory authority under the State Council:
 (1) The constitution of the company;
 (2) The promoter's agreement;
 (3) The name or title of the promoter, the amount of shares as subscribed by the promoter, the category of contributed capital as well as the capital verification certification;
 (4) The prospectus;
 (5) The name and address of the bank that receives the funds as generated from the issuance of stocks on the behalf of the company; and
 (6) The name of the underwriting organization as well as the relevant agreements. In case a recommendation party shall be employed, as prescribed by the present Law, the Recommendation Letter of Issuance as produced by the recommendation party shall be submitted as well. In case the establishment of a company shall be reported for approval, as prescribed by laws and administrative regulations, the relevant approval documents shall be submitted as well.

Article 13 An initial public offer (IPO) of stocks of a company shall satisfy the following requirements:
 (1) Having a complete and well-operated organization;
 (2) Having the capability of making profits successively and a sound financial status;
 (3) Having no false record in its financial statements over the latest 3 years and having no other major irregularity; and
 (4) Meeting any other requirements as prescribed by the securities regulatory authority under the State Council, which has been approved by the State Council. A listed company that makes any initial non-public offer of stocks shall satisfy the requirements as prescribed by the securities regulatory authority under the State Council, which have been approved by the State Council and shall be reported to the securities regulatory authority under the State Council for examination and approval.

Article 14 A company that makes an IPO of stocks shall apply for public offer of stocks as well as the following documents to the securities regulatory authority under the State Council:
 (1) The business license of the company;
 (2) The constitution of the company;
 (3) The resolution of the general assemble of shareholders;
 (4) The prospectus;
 (5) The financial statements;
 (6) The name and address of the bank that receives the funds as generated from the public offer of stocks on the behalf of the company; and
 (7) The name of the underwriting institution as well as the relevant agreements. In case a recommendation party shall be employed, as prescribed by the present Law, the Recommendation Letter of Issuance as produced by the recommendation party shall be submitted as well.


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