The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) recently held their 15th regular high-level meeting on enforcement cooperation and a three-day joint training event at Chengdu. This was the first in-person meeting between the current enforcement heads of the SFC and the CSRC and the first in-person joint training between the two enforcement units since the COVID pandemic.

In addition to exchanging views on enforcement priorities, trends and progress and taking stock of successful outcomes in enforcement cooperation this year, the parties also conducted thorough discussions on enhancing coordination and cooperation mechanisms to more effectively combat cross-boundary securities crimes and misconduct.

A number of key issues relating to cross-boundary enforcement cooperation were discussed, including:

·sharing of investigation progress on important cases involving cross-boundary investigatory assistance with a view to facilitating cooperation; and

·sharing of experience in anti-money laundering related work.

At the same time, senior representatives of the SFC, the CSRC, the Mainland Economic Crime Investigation Department of the Ministry of Public Security (ECID) and the Commercial Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force (CCB) also met to exchange views on strengthening law enforcement cooperation against securities and economic crimes in accordance with their respective legal remits.

The three-day joint training event was enthusiastically attended by more than 50 enforcement officers from the SFC, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), the Hong Kong Police Force and the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council together with more than 90 enforcement officers from the CSRC and its regional offices and the Mainland public security authorities. The event covered a wide range of topics including cross-divisional collaboration on intelligence analysis and investigation, as well as investigative methods and strategies for tackling listed company fraud and disclosure offences, market manipulation and intermediary misconduct.

“With the further deepening of mutual access of our capital markets, I envisage that the enforcement units of both regulators will continue to deepen our cross-boundary enforcement cooperation, promote new models for bilateral and multilateral collaboration, and actively explore new cooperation pathways to combat cross-boundary securities crimes. This will enable our enforcement cooperation to scale new heights as we continue to work together to protect investor interests and promote the healthy development of both markets,” said Mr Christopher Wilson, the SFC’s Executive Director of Enforcement.