In addition, trade relations between the U.S. and China have recently been strained. Worsening trade relations between the two countries could adversely impact the Fund, particularly to the extent that the Chinese government restricts foreign investments in Chinese companies or the U.S. government restricts investments by U.S. investors in China. There may be companies included in the Index that have at times been, and may in the future be, subject to such restrictions. These recent developments have heightened concerns of increased tariffs and restrictions on trade between the two countries. An increase in tariffs or trade restrictions, or even the threat of such developments, could lead to a significant reduction in international trade, which could have a negative impact on China’s export industry and a commensurately negative impact on the Fund. Market volatility and volatility in the price of Fund shares may also result.

The political reunification of mainland China and Taiwan, over which mainland China continues to claim sovereignty, is a highly complex issue. There is the potential for future political, military or economic disturbances that may have an adverse impact on the values of the Fund’s investments in mainland China (through its exposure to VIEs) and elsewhere, or make certain Fund investments impractical or impossible. Any escalation of hostility between mainland China and Taiwan would likely have a significant adverse impact on the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments in both mainland China and elsewhere, causing substantial investment losses for the Fund.

Disclosure and regulatory standards in emerging market countries, such as China, are in many respects less stringent than U.S. standards. There is substantially less publicly available information about Chinese issuers than there is about U.S. issuers. Chinese companies, including Chinese companies that are listed on U.S. exchanges, are not subject to the same degree of accounting standards or auditor oversight as companies in more developed countries. As a result, information about the Chinese securities companies to which the Fund is exposed may be less reliable or complete. Chinese companies with securities listed on U.S. exchanges may be delisted if they do not meet U.S. accounting standards and auditor oversight requirements, such as those mandated by the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (HFCAA), which would significantly decrease the liquidity and value of the securities. In addition, there may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against Chinese companies, and shareholders may have limited legal remedies. The Fund is not actively managed and does not select investments based on investor protection considerations.

For purposes of raising capital offshore on exchanges outside of China, including on U.S. exchanges, many Chinese-based operating companies are structured as VIEs. In this structure, the Chinese-based operating company is the VIE and establishes an entity, which is typically offshore in a foreign jurisdiction, such as the Cayman Islands. The offshore entity lists on a foreign exchange and enters into contractual arrangements with the VIE. This structure allows Chinese companies in which the government restricts foreign ownership to raise capital from foreign investors. While the offshore entity has no equity ownership of the VIE, these contractual arrangements permit the offshore entity to consolidate the VIE’s financial statements with its own for accounting purposes and provide for economic exposure to the performance of the underlying Chinese operating company. Therefore, an investor in the listed offshore entity, such as the Fund, will have exposure to the Chinese-based operating company only through contractual arrangements and has no ownership in the Chinese-based operating company. Furthermore, because the offshore entity only has specific rights provided for in these service agreements with the VIE, its abilities to control the activities at the Chinese-based operating company are limited and the operating company may engage in activities that negatively impact investment value.

While the VIE structure has been widely adopted, it is not formally recognized under Chinese law and therefore there is a risk that the Chinese government could prohibit the existence of such structures or negatively impact the VIE’s contractual arrangements with the listed offshore entity by making them invalid. If these contracts were found to be unenforceable under Chinese law, investors in the listed offshore entity, such as the Fund, may suffer significant losses with little or no recourse available. If the Chinese government determines that the agreements establishing the VIE structures do not comply with Chinese law and regulations, including those related to restrictions on foreign ownership, it could subject a Chinese-based issuer to penalties, revocation of business and operating licenses, or forfeiture of ownership interest.