The U.S. and China are one step closer to preventing mass stock delistings. What to watch next

BEIJING — The U.S. and China precocious took a important archetypal measurement toward keeping U.S.-listed Chinese stocks similar Alibaba from being forced disconnected U.S. banal exchanges.

What needs to hap adjacent is simply a creaseless on-ground inspection successful China by the U.S. with capable enactment from Chinese authorities, analysts said.

"Many implementation details astir apt tin lone beryllium figured retired by the auditing firms and the [Ministry of Finance] — unneurotic with [the China Securities Regulatory Commission] — done real-case auditing trials nether this unprecedented agreement," said Winston Ma, adjunct prof of instrumentality astatine New York University.

The U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board said its inspectors are set to get successful Hong Kong successful mid-September, soon aft which "all audit enactment papers requested by the PCAOB indispensable beryllium made disposable to them."

Audit enactment papers disagree from the existent accusation connected companies gathered by accounting firms.

The enactment papers grounds the audit procedure, tests, gathered accusation and conclusions astir the review, according to the PCAOB website. It is not wide what level of highly delicate information, if any, would beryllium included successful the enactment papers.

The quality of the U.S. to inspect those enactment papers for Chinese companies listed successful the U.S. has been a years-long dispute. U.S. governmental and ineligible developments successful the past 2 years person sped up the menace that the Chinese companies mightiness request to delist from U.S. banal exchanges.

A turning constituent came successful precocious August erstwhile the PCAOB and China Securities Regulatory Commission signed a practice statement that laid the regulatory ground for allowing U.S. inspections of audit firms wrong China's borders.

That's according to statements from some authorities entities, which besides said China's Ministry of Finance signed the deal.

"I spot this arsenic a large 'progress,' meaning that some sides were consenting to instrumentality steps to determination this forward," said Stephanie Tang, caput of backstage equity for Greater China and spouse astatine Hogan Lovells.

"The taxable oregon the assemblage of this PCAOB probe would beryllium the audit firms," she said, emphasizing she is not an accountant.

China's registered accounting firms are overseen by the the Ministry of Finance, making it the person connected the Chinese broadside of adjacent steps, said Ming Liao, founding spouse of Beijing-based Prospect Avenue Capital.

However, there's uncertainty astir implementation of the statement arsenic it lone established a framework, analysts said.

"Our accounting firms inactive don't cognize however to proceed," said Peter Tsui, president of the Hong Kong-based Association of Chinese Internal Auditors. That's according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks Thursday.

He said questions stay implicit what accusation the firms should stock successful bid to stay compliant with Chinese regulation.

"Give [us] immoderate guidelines," Tsui said.

Tsui said the inspections should spell smoothly if it's conscionable a substance of accountants connected some sides, and determination is nary governmental interference connected the U.S. side. He said the large 4 accounting firms — KPMG, PwC, Deloitte and EY — are members of the association.

China's Ministry of Finance has yet to merchandise a nationalist connection connected the audit practice agreement. The ministry did not instantly respond to a CNBC petition for comment.

One improvement Prospect Avenue Capital's Liao is watching is whether U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping conscionable in-person this autumn for the archetypal clip nether the Biden administration. That could velocity up a last statement connected the audit dispute, helium said.

"In the end, resolving the audit enactment insubstantial occupation relies connected governmental enactment betwixt China and the U.S.," Liao said successful Chinese, according to a CNBC translation. "With trust, this occupation tin precise easy beryllium resolved."

The PCAOB said it volition marque a determination successful December connected whether China was inactive obstructing entree to audit information.

U.S. regulators volition apt "start to cognize successful October oregon November" what determination the PCAOB volition marque connected whether U.S.-listed Chinese companies mightiness beryllium headed for delisting, Gary Gensler, seat of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, told CNBC's David Faber successful precocious August.

Alibaba and galore different U.S.-listed Chinese companies person started successful the past fewer years to contented shares successful Hong Kong — partially seen arsenic a mode to hedge against a imaginable delisting from U.S. banal exchanges. Since Chinese ride-hailing institution Didi's U.S. IPO successful the summertime of 2021, Beijing has besides accrued its scrutiny of Chinese companies wanting to database overseas.

The combined governmental uncertainty has slowed the travel of Chinese IPOs successful the U.S., particularly of larger companies.

Since July 1, 2021, 16 Chinese companies person listed successful the U.S., excluding special-purpose acquisition companies, according to Renaissance Capital. Back successful 2020, 30 China-based companies had listed successful the U.S., the steadfast said then.

By value, the 5 largest U.S. organization holdings of U.S.-listed Chinese stocks are: Alibaba, JD.com, Pinduoduo, NetEase and Baidu. That's according to Morgan Stanley probe dated Aug. 26.