CHINA’S securities regulator said it will start examining four companies hoping to list, the first time it will do so in an 18-month freeze on the auditing of initial public offerings.

    The four companies, including Kuajishan Wine Co., will be audited Wednesday, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said late Friday.

    China halted new listings for 14 months from late 2012, in a move some analysts said was aimed at shielding sluggish domestic equity markets from further downward pressure.

    The lack of regulatory approval for new listings in the past eight weeks has caused some companies to abandon their listing plans.

    Separately, 25 firms announced plans late Friday to list on the domestic equity markets, according to China Securities Times, boosting the number of potential stock market debutants after a two-month lull in new listings.

    In total, 122 companies have announced IPO plans, according to the paper. (SD-Agencies)