Beijing won’t retaliate strongly against the U.S. for delisting Chinese companies - analysts

CNBC reports that the decision by the New York Stock Exchange to delist three Chinese telecommunication giants has drawn ire from China — but analysts say Beijing is unlikely to take significant action to retaliate against Washington.

The stock exchange announced Thursday it will delist China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom. Trading is due to be suspended as soon as Jan. 7, or as late as Jan. 11.

The move by the NYSE is in line with an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump in November, that barred Americans from investing in companies allegedly connected to the Chinese military. 

Responding to the U.S. move, China’s commerce ministry said Saturday that it will “take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.”

Asked if even more Chinese companies might be delisted, Brendan Ahern, chief investment officer of investment firm KraneShares, said: “I don’t see this being extended beyond these three specific names, simply because this was really driven by this executive order.”

Ronald Wan, a non-executive chairman at Partners Financial Holdings, added that any actions taken by Beijing likely won’t be “significant.”

Ahern said investors of the three U.S. listed stocks — China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom —will be able to convert them to their Hong Kong-listed shares.