In the past China's capital market featured prevalent state ownership and a weak legal environment. It has, however, achieved very substantial development in the past two decades. China has surpassed Japan as the world's second-largest stock market and has also emerged as a leading player in green bonds and Fintech markets. The chapters in this book provide insights on Chinese listed firms and advance the understanding of China's unique institutions. Some important questions are covered including the governance role of foreign investors in partially privatized firms, the financial implications of political connections, the "Chinese model" of commercial banks and regulatory reforms that promote the marketization of the stock markets, among others. These studies have important implications for other emerging economies, on the recent China-US trade conflicts and about the Trump administration's complaints about the role of the Chinese government in capital markets.

This book selectively includes the most influential articles from two special issues of The European Journal of Finance, which were based on selections of papers presented at a series of conferences on the Chinese Capital Markets.