A source said the group made the move partly because of concerns about a backlash in Washington against bankrolling the Chinese government with US capital, the report said.

Goldman Sachs estimates that $100 billion to $200 billion of foreign holdings could be at risk if global funds significantly cut their allocations of Chinese equities

Huatai-PineBridge applied for an ETF to invest in top Korean chip firms such as Samsung and SK Hynix, as well as Chinese chipmakers like SMIC and Montage Technology

The ETFs will test investor appetite for chipmakers, producers of new materials and machine tool manufacturers at a time when rivalry between the US and China in the chip sector is intensifying

Shanghai Exchange said trading in 67 funds was halted on Thursday at the request of asset managers, as the southbound leg of their Stock Connect schemes was interrupted

Since July 19, investors across Asia have been able to make transactions from 9am-5pm Singapore time.

Derivatives that debuted on the China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) offer tools to manage risks in a portfolio of about 1,000 small tech firms

The two bourses said they would explore new exchange-traded fund (ETF) products and jointly promote environmental, social and governance (ESG) themes.

US and EMEA investors put a record $5.8bn into Chinese equities in June after Covid lockdowns ended in Shanghai and other cities and regulators said they would ease their tech sector crackdown

The regulator has rejected more than a dozen proposals for spot bitcoin ETFs over the past year, with much of its focus on the lack of any "surveillance-sharing agreements"

The move applies to the China New Horizon Mixed Securities Investment Fund and Hong Kong Stock Connect Long Horizon Mixed Securities Investment Fund

Asset management firm One River sought to list on the NYSE Arca exchange, but the Securities and Exchange Commission ruled the ETF did not meet standards