EX-99.1 2 b59735cfexv99w1.htm INSIGHT NEWSLETTER exv99w1
 

(MARTIN CURRIE HEADER)
IN BRIEF
 
         
Net asset value per share
  US$ 26.38  
Market price
  US$ 29.48  
Premium/(discount)
    11.75 %
Fund size
  US$ 382.4m  
Source: State Street Corporation
     
At February 28, 2006   US$ returns
 
                 
    China Fund NAV     MSCI Golden Dragon*  
    %     %  
One month
    2.9       0.6  
Year to date
    13.7       7.1  
One year
    8.7       16.0  
Three years %pa
    25.6       26.3  
Past performance is not a guide to future returns.
Source: State Street Corporation. NAV-NAV performance.
*Source for index data: MSCI.
MANAGER’S COMMENTARY
 
China is about to become more socialist. This might seem a strange thing to write about a communist country, but in many aspects — its lack of health insurance, unfunded pension liabilities and poor working conditions — Chinese communism closely resembles the raw capitalism of nineteenth century America. Since coming to power, Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao have recognised that improving conditions for the 70% of the Chinese population which still lives in the countryside is critical to the Communist Party’s hold on power; too many dynasties have been overthrown by millenarian revolts led by discontented farmers. Moreover, the stimulation of consumption, especially in the countryside, will offer an alternative source of growth, reducing the extent to which China relies on its two current motors of growth — exports and investment. Rising exports are causing increasing tension with China’s main trading partners and putting upward pressure on the currency, while investment spending often results in over-capacity and non-performing loans. This change of strategy will be evident at the National People’s Congress, which will emphasise the improvements being made to social security in order to persuade the Chinese people to stop saving and start spending. We have already seen some progress being made in reforming taxes.
China’s politicians will need to work hard to hold the renminbi to its current path of only creeping appreciation given its strong trade performance: exports rose by 28% (year-on-year) in January and another substantial monthly trade surplus, this time of US$9.5billion, was recorded; Hu Jintao may be given a bumpy ride in late April when he visits Washington ahead of US mid-term elections. Inflation picked up in January (Consumer Price Index +1.9%) and seems likely to move higher as utility costs rise and commodity prices remain resilient. Money growth is running ahead of target — M2 (a measure of money supply) rose by 19.2% in January, and the People’s Bank has already started to take some measures to tighten credit a little.
In a short month, shortened further by the extended celebrations which accompanied the Chinese New Year, markets were essentially flat. Intra-month fluctuations pivoted on oil price volatility and changing perceptions of how much further US interest rates might rise. The market seems capable of believing two incompatible things — buying commodities on the basis that rapid global economic growth will be sustained, while simultaneously buying property on the grounds that US rates are about to peak. Something has got to give. The Fund is positioned defensively, in the expectation of a slowdown in the US.
Chris Ruffle, Martin Currie Inc
INVESTMENT STRATEGY
 
The Fund is 97.5% invested with holdings in 72 companies, three of which are unlisted. The Fund has a 17.1% weighting to the Renminbi-denominated A-share market. In Hong Kong, the best performers in February included Shineway Pharmaceutical, Digital China and Asia Aluminium. Among the A-share holdings, Minsheng Bank, Zhenhua Port Machinery and Kweichow Moutai were all strong. Stocks listed in Taiwan generally lagged as President Chen Shui-bian sought to bolster his fading support within his own party by making pro-independence gestures. Because Chen lacks a majority in the Legislative Yuan, these moves cannot come to anything, but they will tend to hold back the fundamentally cheap Taiwan market until the Kuomintang’s almost certain return to power in 2008 draws closer.
Turnover within the Fund was light in February. We added to the laggard consumer play, Lianhua Supermarket, and followed Mr Li Ning’s lead in taking profits in his sportswear chain. We subscribed to the Initial Public Offering (IPO) by carton maker Nine Dragons.
Chris Ruffle, Martin Currie Inc

 


 

DIRECT INVESTMENT MANAGER’S COMMENTARY
 
Over the last few months the regulatory uncertainties relating to the offshore listing of private equity investments in China have been clarified and deal activity has increased sharply. While these issues were being resolved we moved our focus away from manufacturing and towards service industries. Over time, we expect that the service sector will show superior growth and profitability compared to companies operating in tradable good sectors. Domestic demand growth is outpacing overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and the service sector shows greater ability to build secure business franchises that are not easily copied by competitors. By investing in these companies at an early stage in their life cycles we can attain substantial ownership at modest valuations. We are now working on a number of transactions in the education, media and healthcare areas that should lead to deals being closed over the next quarter.
With the high level of investor interest in the Chinese stockmarket creating an attractive exit market, we continue to look for attractive opportunities to realize value from the existing portfolio.
KOH Kuek Chiang, Asian Direct Capital Management

 


 

FUND DETAILS
 
         
Market cap
  US$ 423.7m  
Shares outstanding
    14,496,220  
Exchange listed
  NYSE
Listing date
  July 10, 1992
Investment adviser
  Martin Currie Inc
Direct investment manager
  Asian Direct Capital Management
Source: State Street Corporation.
ASSET ALLOCATION
 
(ASSET ALLOCATION TABLE)
Source: State Street Corporation
SECTOR ALLOCATION
 
                 
    The China     MSCI Golden  
    Fund, Inc     Dragon  
Consumer discretionary
    15.2 %     5.9 %
Information technology
    14.7 %     26.0 %
Financials
    14.2 %     30.4 %
Industrials
    13.5 %     10.7 %
Materials
    8.4 %     6.5 %
Energy
    8.2 %     6.9 %
Consumer staples
    7.2 %     1.0 %
Utilities
    6.5 %     5.0 %
Telecommunications
    4.4 %     7.6 %
Healthcare
    4.2 %      
Index fund
    1.0 %      
Other assets & liabilities
    2.5 %      
 
               
Total
    100.0 %     100.0 %
Source: State Street Corporation. Source for index data: MSCI
     
PERFORMANCE   (US$ RETURNS)
 
                 
    NAV     Market price  
    %     %  
One month
    2.9       1.0  
Year to date
    13.7       27.2  
Three years %pa
    25.6       33.6  
Past performance is not a guide to future returns.
Source: State Street Corporation
DIRECT INVESTMENTS (3.6%)
 
             
CDW Holdings Ltd
  Information technology     1.9 %
Global e Business
  Information technology     0.8 %
Captive Finance
  Financials     0.8 %
teco Optronics
  Information technology     0.1 %
15 LARGEST LISTED INVESTMENTS (42.1%)
 
             
Chaoda Modern Agriculture
  Consumer staples     5.3 %
China Life Insurance
  Financials     4.0 %
Zijin Mining
  Materials     3.5 %
China Minsheng Banking
  Financials     3.1 %
TPV Technology
  Industrials     2.9 %
Tripod Technology
  Information technology     2.8 %
Cathay Financial
  Financials     2.7 %
Xinao Gas
  Utilities     2.6 %
Solomon Systech
  Information technology     2.5 %
Merry Electronics
  Consumer discretionary     2.5 %
Anhui Expressway
  Utilities     2.2 %
Golden Meditech
  Healthcare     2.2 %
Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery
  Industrials     2.1 %
China Netcom
  Information technology     1.9 %
Bio-Treat Technology
  Utilities     1.8 %
Source: State Street Corporation
     
FUND PERFORMANCE (BASED ON NET ASSET VALUE)   (US$ RETURNS)
 
                                                         
    One     Three     Calendar     One     Three     Five     Since  
    month     months     year to date     year     years     years     launch  
    %     %     %     %     % pa     % pa     % pa  
The China Fund, Inc.
    2.9       21.5       13.7       8.7       25.6       21.6       8.9  
MSCI Golden Dragon
    0.6       11.6       7.1       16.0       26.3       6.0       n/a  
Hang Seng Chinese Enterprise
    3.6       29.2       22.0       26.9       43.8       29.3       n/a  
Shanghai Stock Exchange 180
    4.3       19.7       13.4       3.2       (3.5 )     n/a       n/a  
Past performance is not a guide to future returns.
Source: State Street Corporation. Launch date July 10, 1992. Three year, five year and since launch returns are all annualized.
Source for index data: MSCI for the MSCI Golden Dragon and Copyright 2006 Bloomberg LP for the Hang Seng Chinese Enterprise and the
Shanghai Stock Exchange 180. For a full description of each Index please see the final page of this document.

 


 

PERFORMANCE IN PERSPECTIVE
 
(PERFORMANCE IN PERSPECTIVE LINE GRAPH)
20 35 The China Fund Inc. vs MSCI Golden Dragon            NAV 15 30 10 25 5 20 0 15 -5 10 -10 5 -15 0 Nov            Jan            Jan            Jan            Jan            Jan            Jan            Jan            Jan            Jan 96 98 99 2000 01 02 03 04 05 06
Past performance is not a guide to future returns.
Source: Martin Currie Inc as of February 28, 2006.
THE CHINA FUND INC. PREMIUM/DISCOUNT
 
(PREMIUM DISCOUNT LINE GRAPH)
60 % Premium/discount 40 20 0 -20 -40 Jul            Jan            Jan            Jan            Jan            Jan            Jan            Jan 92 94 96 98 00 02 04 06
Past performance is not a guide to future returns.
Source: Martin Currie Inc as of February 28, 2006.
DIVIDEND HISTORY CHART
 
(DIVIDEND HISTORY CHART)
4.0 Income 3.58 Long-term capital gain Short-term capital gain 3.0 2.51 2.0 1.78 0.91 1.0 0.61 0.50 0.21 0.09 0.08 0.08 0.11 0.13 0.0 0.0 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
                                                                                                         
Total
    0.91       0.61       0.09       0.08       0.50       0.08       0.11       0.00       0.13       0.21       1.78       3.58       2.51  
Income
    0.09       0.01       0.09       0.08       0.50       0.08       0.11       0.00       0.13       0.06       0.07       0.20       0.22  
Long term capital
    0.04       0.24       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.67       3.27       2.29  
Short term capital
    0.79       0.36       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.15       1.04       0.11       0.00  
Past performance is not a guide to future returns.
Source: State Street Corporation.

 


 

     
THE PORTFOLIO — IN FULL   AT FEBRUARY 28, 2006
 
                                         
Sector   Company (BBG ticker)     Price     Holding     Value $     % of portfolio  
 
                                       
Hong Kong
                                    45.8 %
Chaoda Modern Agriculture
  682 HK   HK$4.7     34,089,900       20,431,005       5.3 %
China Life Insurance
  2628 HK   HK$8.9     13,497,000       15,308,441       4.0 %
Zijin Mining
  2899 HK   HK$4.6     22,242,000       13,258,568       3.5 %
TPV Technology
  903 HK   HK$8.6     9,968,000       10,984,624       2.9 %
Xinao Gas
  2688 HK   HK$6.6     11,560,000       9,759,109       2.6 %
Solomon Systech
  2878 HK   HK$3.7     20,698,000       9,737,160       2.5 %
Golden Meditech
  8180 HK   HK$2.3     27,900,000       8,360,615       2.2 %
China Netcom
  906 HK   HK$13.9     4,078,000       7,279,609       1.9 %
Shangri-La Asia
  0069 HK   HK$12.5     4,318,000       6,928,880       1.8 %
Lenovo
  992 HK   HK$3.2     15,858,000       6,540,477       1.7 %
Comba Telecom Systems
  2342 HK   HK$3.1     16,118,000       6,336,100       1.7 %
Ports Design
  589 HK   HK$10.0     4,721,500       6,085,427       1.6 %
Agile Property
  3383 HK   HK$4.6     10,292,000       6,068,787       1.6 %
China Fire Safety
  8201 HK   HK$0.8     50,380,000       5,259,618       1.4 %
China Shineway Pharmaceutical
  2877 HK   HK$5.0     7,615,000       4,907,394       1.3 %
China Travel
  0308 HK   HK$2.1     13,840,000       3,790,583       1.0 %
Digital China
  861 HK   HK$2.8     10,692,000       3,789,681       1.0 %
FU JI Food & Catering
  1175 HK   HK$16.1     1,758,000       3,648,008       0.9 %
Li Ning
  2331 HK   HK$6.7     3,726,000       3,193,563       0.8 %
Natural Beauty Bio-Technology
  157 HK   HK$0.7     32,780,000       2,999,704       0.8 %
Fountain Set
  420 HK   HK$3.5     6,714,000       2,985,461       0.8 %
Asia Aluminium
  930 HK   HK$1.0     23,250,000       2,876,771       0.7 %
Parkson Retail
  3368 HK   HK$19.7     1,080,500       2,743,482       0.7 %
TCL Multimedia Technology
  1070 HK   HK$1.1     15,190,000       2,251,473       0.6 %
China Rare Earth
  769 HK   HK$1.1     15,254,000       2,182,317       0.6 %
Ocean Grand Chemicals
  2882 HK   HK$0.9     17,379,000       1,926,346       0.5 %
Beiren Printing Machinery
  187 HK   HK$1.9     7,000,000       1,714,205       0.5 %
China Power International
  2380 HK   HK$2.5     5,191,000       1,655,912       0.4 %
Asia Zirconium
  395 HK   HK$0.7     13,196,000       1,190,560       0.3 %
Nine Dragons Paper
  2689 HK   HK$3.1     1,257,000       556,403       0.1 %
Arcontech
  8097 HK   HK$0.1     18,386,000       236,973       0.1 %
 
                                       
Hong Kong ‘H’ shares
                                    9.3 %
Anhui Expressway
  995 HK   HK$4.7     13,938,000       8,398,333       2.2 %
China Shenhua Energy
  1088 HK   HK$11.8     4,536,500       6,870,207       1.8 %
BYD
  1211 HK   HK$15.6     3,225,000       6,442,767       1.7 %
Sinotrans
  598 HK   HK$3.4     12,835,000       5,459,098       1.4 %
China Oilfield Services
  2883 HK   HK$4.0     9,546,000       4,921,443       1.3 %
Lianhua Supermarket
  980 HK   HK$9.8     2,859,000       3,611,198       0.9 %
 
                                       
Taiwan
                                    18.0 %
Tripod Technology
  3044 TT   NT$103.0     3,334,095       10,582,635       2.8 %
Cathay Financial
  2882 TT   NT$62.6     5,438,000       10,490,402       2.7 %
Merry Electronics
  2439 TT   NT$102.5     3,012,016       9,513,926       2.5 %
Advanced Semiconductor Engineering
  2311 TT   NT$27.0     5,698,000       4,740,944       1.2 %
Premier Image Technology
  2394 TT   NT$40.8     3,371,000       4,238,357       1.1 %
Radiant Opto-Electronics
  6176 TT   NT$85.5     1,500,000       3,952,173       1.0 %
Uni-President Enterprises
  1216 TT   NT$18.5     6,729,000       3,836,197       1.0 %
Fubon Financial
  2881 TT   NT$29.1     4,134,721       3,707,813       1.0 %
Taiwan Green Point
  3007 TT   NT$84.4     1,286,783       3,346,774       0.9 %
Data Systems Consulting
  2447 TT   NT$23.6     4,362,043       3,172,346       0.8 %
Cheng Shin Rubber
  2105 TT   NT$24.1     4,129,481       3,060,477       0.8 %
China Metal Products
  1532 TT   NT$26.2     3,584,000       2,893,663       0.8 %
Taiwan FamilyMart
  5903 TT   NT$50.0     1,645,592       2,543,148       0.7 %
Yieh United Steel
  9957 TT   NT$8.6     9,483,000       2,498,564       0.7 %
 
                                       
Singapore
                                    1.8 %
Bio-Treat Technology
  BIOT SP   SG$1.2     9,799,000       6,950,288       1.8 %
 
                                       
United States ‘N’ shares
                                    1.9 %
The9
  NCTY US   US$ 20.9       184,861       3,869,141       1.0 %
China Techfaith Wireless
  CNFT US   US$ 12.5       233,338       2,916,725       0.8 %
Chindex International
  CHDX US   US$ 7.4       69,987       514,404       0.1 %
 
                                       
‘A’ share access products
                                    17.1 %
China Minsheng Banking
          US$ 0.7       18,401,722       12,034,726       3.1 %
Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery
          US$ 1.5       5,287,861       8,122,154       2.1 %
China Yangtze Power
          US$ 0.8       7,577,738       6,388,033       1.7 %
China Petroleum & Chemical
          US$ 0.7       7,899,000       5,197,542       1.4 %
Kweichow Moutai
          US$ 7.7       547,906       4,243,532       1.1 %
Qinghai Salt Lake Potash
          US$ 1.7       2,396,122       4,020,693       1.1 %
iShares Asia Trust-FTSE/Xinhua
          HK$54.0     580,000       4,033,021       1.0 %

 


 

                                         
Sector   Company (BBG ticker)     Price     Holding     Value $     % of portfolio  
 
                                       
Shenergy
          US$ 0.7       5,940,000       3,950,100       1.0 %
Youngor
          US$ 0.5       7,562,730       3,773,802       1.0 %
Shanghai International Airport
          US$ 2.0       1,799,974       3,594,548       0.9 %
Shanghai Port Container
          US$ 1.5       2,434,945       3,557,455       0.9 %
China Merchants Bank
          US$ 0.8       4,199,962       3,494,368       0.9 %
Xinjiang Tebian Electric
          US$ 1.0       3,577,791       3,470,457       0.9 %
 
                                       
Direct
                                    3.6 %
CDW Holdings Ltd
                    60,000,000       7,216,209       1.9 %
Global e Business
                    40,000       3,051,211       0.8 %
Captive Finance
                    2,000,000       3,045,000       0.8 %
teco Optronics
                    1,861,710       150,000       0.1 %
 
                                       
Other assets & liabilities
                                    2.5 %
OBJECTIVE
 
The investment objective of the Fund is to achieve long term capital appreciation through investment in companies and other entities with significant assets, investments, production activities, trading or other business interests in China or which derive a significant part of their revenue from China.
The Board of Directors of the Fund has adopted an operating policy of the Fund, effective June 30, 2001, that the Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in China companies. For this purpose, “China companies” are (i) companies for which the principal securities trading market is in China; (ii) companies for which the principal securities trading market is outside of China or in companies organized outside of China, that in both cases derive at least 50% of their revenues from goods or services sold or produced, or have a least 50% of their assets in China; or (iii) companies organized in China. Under the policy, China will mean the People’s Republic of China, including Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The Fund will provide its stockholders with at least 60 days’ prior notice of any change to the policy described above.
The fundamental policy, which applies to not less than 65% of the Fund’s assets as set out in the Fund’s prospectus dated July 10, 1992, remains in place. The fundamental policy is the same as the operating policy set out above, except that China only includes the People’s Republic of China.
The Fund is subject to the Investment Company Act of 1940 which limits the means in which it can access the ‘A’ share market. The Fund will continue to seek the most efficient way in which to increase its ‘A’ share exposure ensuring ongoing compliance with its legal and regulatory obligations.
CONTACTS
 
The China Fund, Inc.
c/o State Street Bank and Trust Company
225 Franklin Street
Boston, MA 02110
Tel: (1) 888 CHN-CALL (246 2255)
www.chinafundinc.com

 


 

MSCI Golden Dragon Index
The MSCI Golden Dragon is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure equity market performance in the China region. As of May 2005 the MSCI Golden Dragon Index consisted of the following country indices: China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Hang Seng China Enterprise Index
The Hang Seng China Enterprise Index is a capitalization-weighted index comprised of state-owned Chinese companies (H-shares) listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and included in HSMLCI index.
Shanghai Stock Exchange 180 Index
The Shanghai Stock Exchange 180 ‘A’ Share Index is a capitalization-weighted index. The index tracks the daily price performance of the 180 most representative ‘A’ share stocks listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Important information: This document is issued and approved by Martin Currie Inc (MC Inc), as investment adviser of the listed equity portfolio of the China Fund Inc (the Fund). MC Inc is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and incorporated under limited liability in New York, USA. Registered in Scotland (No BR2575), registered address Saltire Court, 20 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2ES. Information herein is believed to be reliable but has not been verified by MC Inc. MC Inc makes no representation or warranty and does not accept any responsibility in relation to such information or for opinion or conclusion which the reader may draw from the newsletter. It explicitly does not accept responsibility for the views and opinions expressed by Asia Direct Capital Management.
The Fund is classified as a ‘non-diversified’ investment company under the US Investment Company Act of 1940. It meets the criteria of a closed ended US mutual fund and its shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. MC Inc has been appointed investment adviser to the listed equity portfolio of the Fund. Asian Direct Capital Management is the direct investment manager to the Fund.
Investors are advised that they will not generally benefit from the rules and regulations of the United Kingdom Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and the FSA for the protection of investors, nor benefit from the United Kingdom Financial Services Compensation Scheme, nor have access to the Financial Services Ombudsman in the event of a dispute. Investors will also have no rights of cancellation under the FSA’s Conduct of Business Sourcebook of the United Kingdom.
This newsletter does not constitute an offer of shares. MC Inc, its ultimate and intermediate holding companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, clients, directors or staff may, at any time, have a position in the market referred to herein, and may buy or sell securities, currencies, or any other financial instruments in such markets. The information or opinion expressed in this newsletter should not be construed to be a recommendation to buy or sell the securities, commodities, currencies or financial instruments referred to herein.
The information provided in this report should not be considered a recommendation to purchase or sell any particular security. There is no assurance that any securities discussed herein will remain in an account’s portfolio at the time you receive this report or that securities sold have not been repurchased.
It should not be assumed that any of the securities transactions or holdings discussed here were or will prove to be profitable, or that the investment recommendations or decisions we make in the future will be profitable or will equal the investment performance of the securities discussed herein.
Investing in the Fund involves certain considerations in addition to the risks normally associated with making investments in securities. The value of the shares issued by the Fund, and the income from them, may go down as well as up and there can be no assurance that upon sale, or otherwise, investors will receive back the amount originally invested. There can be no assurance that you will receive comparable performance returns, or that investments will reflect the performance of the stock examples contained in this document. Movements in foreign exchange rates may have a separate effect, unfavorable as well as favorable, on the gain or loss otherwise experienced on an investment. Past performance is not a guide to future returns. Accordingly, the Fund is only suitable for investment by investors who are able and willing to withstand the total loss of their investment. In particular, prospective investors should consider the following risks:
à   The companies quoted on Greater Chinese stock exchanges are exposed to the risks of political, social and religious instability, expropriation of assets or nationalization, rapid rates of inflation, high interest rates, currency depreciation and fluctuations and changes in taxation, which may affect income and the value of investments.
 
à   At present, the securities market and the regulatory framework for the securities industry in China is at an early stage of development. The CSRC is responsible for supervising the national securities markets and producing relevant regulations. The Investment Regulations, under which the Fund invests in the People’s Republic of China (‘PRC’) and which regulate repatriation and currency conversion, are new. The Investment Regulations give CSRC and SAFE wide discretions and there is no precedent or certainty as to how these discretions might be exercised, either now or in the future. The Fund may, from time to time, obtain access to the securities markets in China via Access Products. Such products carry additional risk and may be less liquid than the underlying securities which they represent.
 
à   During the past 15 years, the PRC government has been reforming the economic and political systems of the PRC, and these reforms are expected to continue, as evidenced by the recently announced changes. The fund’s operations and financial results could be adversely affected by adjustments in the PRC’s state plans, political, economic and social conditions, changes in the policies of the PRC government such as changes in laws and regulations (or the interpretation thereof), measures which may be introduced to control inflation, changes in the rate or method of taxation, imposition of additional restrictions on currency conversion and the imposition of additional import restrictions.
 
à   PRC’s disclosure and regulatory standards are in many respects less stringent than standards in certain OECD countries, and there may be less publicly available or less reliable information about PRC companies than is regularly published by or about companies from OECD countries.
 
à   The Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange have lower trading volumes than most OECD exchanges and the market capitalisations of listed companies are small compared to those on more developed exchanges in developed markets. The listed equity securities of many companies in the PRC are accordingly materially less liquid, subject to greater dealing spreads and experience materially greater volatility than those of OECD countries. These factors could negatively affect the Fund’s NAV.
 
à   The Fund invests primarily in securities denominated in other currencies but its NAV will be quoted in US dollars. Accordingly, a change in the value of such securities against US dollars will result in a corresponding change in the US dollar NAV.
 
à   The marketability of quoted shares may be limited due to foreign investment restrictions, wide dealing spreads, exchange controls, foreign ownership restrictions, the restricted opening of stock exchanges and a narrow range of investors. Trading volume may be lower than on more developed stockmarkets, and equities are less liquid. Volatility of prices can also be greater than in more developed stockmarkets. The infrastructure for clearing, settlement and registration on the primary and secondary markets may be underdeveloped. Under certain circumstances, there may be delays in settling transactions in some of the markets.
 
à   The value of the fund’s investment in any Quota will be affected by taxation levied against the relevant QFIIs or in respect of investments held in the relevant Quotas. The PRC taxation regime that will apply to QFIIs and investments made in or through QFII quotas is not clear. The Investment Regulations are new and do not currently expressly contemplate the treatment of QFIIs and investment made through QFII Quotas.
 
à   It should be noted that the position with regard to PRC taxation of the Company and its gains and profits remains unclear. Until such time as the PRC taxation position of the Company is clarified, the Company will process all subscription and redemption requests based upon provisional Net Asset Value calculations, determined without making any provision for PRC capital gains taxation, but with a provision for withholding tax of 10% on all dividend income received. The number of Ordinary shares allotted to any investor, and the final redemption price per share, will be recalculated upon the taxation position being clarified. The Company will require an indemnity in respect of such amount of any redemption proceeds as they consider prudent to allow for potential PRC taxation liabilities that may be included in the final Net Asset Value calculation.
    In practice this means that, should any tax be payable retrospectively, the Company’s Net Asset Value will be adjusted to the extent that existing shareholders are liable. All shareholders will be required to sign an indemnity prior to being permitted to redeem all or part of their shareholding to protect the Company and the existing shareholders. Any change to the withholding tax rate which is applied to the Company on an retrospective basis will result in an adjustment of the Net Asset Value of the Company for the benefit of, or if charged at a higher rate than the existing provision, detriment of existing shareholders.
Martin Currie Inc, registered in Scotland (no BR2575)
Registered office: Saltire Court, 20 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH11 2ES Tel: (44) 131 229 5252 Fax: (44) 131 222 2532 www.martincurrie.com/china
North American office: 1350 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 3010, New York, NY 10019, USA Tel: (1) 212 258 1900 Fax: (1) 212 258 1919
Authorized and registered by the Financial Services Authority and incorporated with limited liability in New York, USA.