The Exchange refers to its earlier announcement dated 24 April 2001 and wishes to inform the market that the amendments to the Exchange Listing Rules requiring the submission by Main Board issuers of a soft copy of announcements to the Exchange for publication on HKExs website will come into effect on Monday, 21 May 2001.

Among other things, the amendments merely formalise the current practice of Main Board issuers submitting announcements to the Exchange for publication on HKExs website. Under the Exchange Listing Rules as amended, Main Board issuers will be required to submit to the Exchange a soft copy on diskette of any announcement, notice or other document which they are obliged to publish in the newspapers pursuant to or otherwise for the purposes of the Exchange Listing Rules for publication on HKExs website on the same day as such announcement, notice or other document is to be published in the newspapers.

Main Board issuers will still be required to publish paid announcements in the newspapers until full implementation of the Revised Proposal (as referred to in the Exchanges earlier announcement), when there will be further changes to the Exchange Listing Rules to abolish the requirement for paid announcements in the newspapers.

Reprinted pages of the Exchange Listing Rules will be distributed in due course. The revised rules will also be available for viewing on HKExs website at http://www.hkex.com.hk from 21 May 2001.