China's top economic planner has issued a white paper encouraging firms to seek B and H-share listings, a move seen as signalling Beijing's renewed interest in the tiny hard-currency markets.
The State Development and Planning Commission's comments come more than a year after the Government shelved initial public offerings of B shares when it allowed mainland investors into the previously foreigners-only B-share markets.
Shanghai's B-Share Index rose 3.4 per cent on the news, later falling back to close with a gain of 1.8 per cent. Shenzhen's B-Share Index edged up 0.96 per cent.
Analysts said it was too early to tell if securities watchdog China Securities Regulatory Commission would resume B-share offerings.
The mainland is also considering the feasibility of issuing China depositary receipts - modelled after the American depositary receipts - to allow Chinese investors to use foreign currencies to get exposure to mainland companies listed overseas.
The Government is also assessing the possibility of launching a qualified domestic institutional investor scheme, which will allow a select group of fund managers to use foreign currencies to buy foreign stocks under a controlled mechanism.
The moves are seen as possible ways of channelling excess domestic foreign exchange in a controlled manner.