APG and the major Chinese asset manager E Fund are launching an ESG fund that invests in Chinese equities. According to the promoters, this is the first of its kind.
"The collaboration with E Fund as a strong local partner makes it possible to invest in Chinese A shares and to apply ESG criteria," said Harmen Geers, spokesperson for APG. "The fund provides access to stock markets in mainland China. It invests in a limited number of companies. "
Currently APG does not invest in these shares. APG invests in Chinese companies through the Hong Kong stock exchange where many large Chinese companies are listed. APG customers initially pledged € 250 million. These pension funds view it as emerging market equities. APG expects the fund to grow even further in the coming years. A team consisting of investors from APG and E Fund is in charge of the new fund. When selecting companies, this team examines both the risk-return profile and the ESG criteria.
In a statement, Ronald Wuijster, cio ad interim of APG, states that the asset manager likes to act as a responsible long-term investor for his clients. "Our responsible investment approach combined with local knowledge offers unique investment opportunities in China." Wuijster expects the trend to invest more in China to continue and wants to share the knowledge gained with other institutional investors.