China A-shares are the stock shares of mainland Chinese corporations that trade on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE). Due to China's prohibitions on foreign investment, China A-shares were previously exclusively available for purchase by mainland citizens.
Select international institutions, however, have been authorized to purchase these shares through the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII) mechanism since 2003. The QFII program, which was established in 2002, permits certain authorized international investors to purchase and sell on mainland China's stock exchanges.