PRESS DIGEST - China - Jan 23

BEIJING/SHANGHAI Jan 23 (Reuters) - Chinese newspapers available in Beijing and Shanghai carried the following stories on Wednesday. Reuters has not checked the stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

CHINA SECURITIES JOURNAL

-- Regulatory and judicial authorities have defined the types of securities and assets that may be frozen in criminal cases.

-- Many institutional investors still have ample liquidity despite monetary tightening and they have been actively buying short-term bills, although the longer-term outlook for the market remains uncertain.

-- The China Insurance Regulatory Commission may ease restrictions on investment in foreign markets by Chinese insurers, raising allocation ceilings for asset classes and expanding areas in which investment is allowed.

SHANGHAI SECURITIES NEWS

-- After Tuesday's 7.22 percent plunge of China's main stock index .SSEC, institutional investors say the market should not exaggerate the possible impact of the U.S. subprime loan crisis on China, and investors should not panic.

-- More than 60 percent of the 110 million A-share investment accounts in China are currently empty, official data show.

SECURITIES TIMES

-- Zhuhai Huafa Industries (600325.SS), the first listed real estate company to post 2007 earnings, said net profit soared 145 percent to 363 million yuan ($50 million) last year, and announced a plan for a 10:10 bonus share issue and a 1 yuan cash dividend. ($1 = 7.24 yuan)