B shares are foreign-invested shares issued domestically by PRC's companies. B Shares are also known as Renminbi Special Shares.

B shares are issued in the form of registered shares and carry a face value denominated in Renminbi. B Shares are subscribed and traded in foreign currencies and are listed and traded in securities exchanges inside China.

The B Share Market came into existence in 1991. By the end of April 1999, there were totally 107 B Share issuers. There were 54 B Share companies listed in Shenzhen with a total capitalization of RMB10.94 billion whereas there were 53 B Share companies listed in Shanghai with a total capitalization of 9.778 billion yuan.

The B Share Market has attracted a considerable amount of foreign investors. The Market provides an additional channel for foreign capital thereby enhancing the progress of the evolvement of PRC's securities market.

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