HKEx Publishes Revised Connected Transaction Rules

On 21 March 2014, The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the "Stock Exchange") published amendments to the connected transaction rules under the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on the Stock Exchange and the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on the Growth Enterprise Market of the Stock Exchange (collectively the "Listing Rules").

The revised rules will take effect from 1 July 2014. The revised rules follow a public consultation launched by the Stock Exchange in April 2013. The Stock Exchange has also taken the opportunity to rewrite the connected transaction rules in plain language and to align the definitions of "connected person" and "associate" used in various parts of the Listing Rules with those used for connected transactions where their purposes are to protect minority shareholders or avoid conflicts of interest.