Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust cuts China exposure to 11% as of September
The Baillie Gifford-managed trust said it reduced China exposure to 11% from 24% at end-2020 over six years, citing geopolitical and regulatory risks including US restrictions and China’s domestic regulatory environment. It said it remains bullish on Chinese tech and automotive stocks including BYD, CATL and ByteDance.
By Summer Zhen HONG KONG, Sept 30 (Reuters) — Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust said it had more than halved its China exposure over the past six years as it factored in geopolitical and regulatory risks. A longtime China bull, Baillie Gifford-managed Scottish Mortgage has cut its China exposure to 11% as of September, from 24% at the end of 2020, the trust told a digital conference last week. Geopolitical risks, in particular US restrictions on investment into Chinese companies, and China's domestic regulatory environment, have driven the decision, it said.
"We want to have access to these exceptional companies, but we're aware that there is a shared common risk between them," said Tom Slater, manager of the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust. 55 billion) at end-August. Chinese stocks have underperformed global peers this year with the benchmark CSI 300 Index hitting a one-year low this week amid concerns over domestic demand and US-China tensions. Scottish Mortgage said it is still bullish on Chinese tech and automotive stocks including BYD, CATL and ByteDance.
Remaining invested in China is still critical, said Linda Lin, head of the China Equities for Baillie Gifford. In areas such as green technology, advanced manufacturing, robotics and even AI, China is not only catching up, it is setting the pace, she said. com; 852-3462-7739;)