The Mainland's National Council for Social Security Fund has been admitted to Hong Kong's Central Clearing & Settlement System.

As a result, the security fund holds a corporate investor participant account in the system and can use it to hold the state-owned shares it receives under the State Council's Provisional Measures on Management over the Reduction of State Shares to Raise Social Security Funds.

A corporate investor participant account holder can:

* hold Central Clearing & Settlement System-eligible securities, including Hong Kong-listed securities, with its corporate investor participant account;

* transfer securities between the system's corporate investor participant account and the accounts of its designated brokers or custodians;

* enjoy nominee services offered by the system, such as voting and receiving dividends on an electronic basis; and,

* receive corporate information directly from listed issuers.

There are over 14,000 investor participant accounts in the system, of which 350 are corporate investor participant accounts.