THE Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect program will include representative stocks from the main board, the small, medium-sized enterprises board and the ChiNext growth board, the general manager of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange said Sunday.

    “We initially will select some ChiNext stocks with relatively high market value, relatively stable performance, which are relatively good, with relatively active trading, and with burgeoning industries at the center,” said Song Liping, on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People’s Congress, the country’s parliament.

    She added that the program could be approved in the first half of the year and launched in the second half.

    The plan still requires approval from the government, although the chairman of the Shenzhen exchange said last month that the design was complete.

    Premier Li Keqing said Thursday that China will link trading between its Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock markets as part of a push for financial reforms.

    The Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect trial will be launched at an appropriate time, Li told the opening of the annual session of the National People’s Congress. He gave no further details.

    “This will accelerate the internationalization of the A-share market, which will have significant long-term effects on liquidity and investment style,” BOC International analyst Shen Jun said, referring to China’s domestic share market.

    In November, China’s main stock exchange in Shanghai and the market in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, began allowing investors on each exchange to trade selected stocks on the other through their existing accounts.

    The Shenzhen exchange has dedicated boards for technology firms and smaller companies, and daily trading volumes sometimes exceed those of Shanghai.

    The stock connect program has been regarded as the opening-up of China’s stock markets to the outside world, as it gives foreign investors access to Chinese companies not quoted elsewhere.

    The creation of the trading platform between Hong Kong and Shanghai was also seen as a key step toward making China’s yuan currency freely convertible. (SD-Agencies)