According to authoritative sources, the access bar for bank's qualified domestic institutional investor (QDII) products has been lowered from 100 thousand yuan to 50 thousand yuan in order to encourage more people to make overseas investments through professional services provided by banks. It is the second time that this access bar has been lowered.

Some analysts pointed out that due to competitive pressure that causes rivalry between funds and banks, the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) intends to sharpen its competitive edge of bank QDII products by lowering the access bar. It is reported that the investment bar for fund's QDII products is as little as 1,000 yuan.

Meanwhile, other sources say that CBRC is considering allowing bank QDII stocks to be accessible in the world's developed capital markets such as New York and London.

For more details, please read the full story in Chinese. (http://www.cnstock.com/paper_new/html/2007-10/11/content_59312408.htm)

(China.org.cn October 11, 2007)