Hong Kong stocks fall after Paris attack

The regulator will also continue to push forward with the proposed Hong Kong-Shenzhen Stock Connect scheme, said Fang Xinghai, vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), according to a statement on the watchdog’s website.

And Malaysia, playing in front of an empty stadium as punishment for crowd trouble in an earlier qualifier, lost 2-1 to UAE – an improvement at least from the record 10-0 loss the last time they met.

Stocks with dual listings in Shanghai and Hong Kong are also eligible.

Relations between Hong Kong and China have worsened since last year’s almost three-month long democracy protests, when tens of thousands of activists blocked major roads in a bid to pressure Beijing to allow full democracy in the city.

Tensions between fans were further fuelled this year when the Chinese Football Association released a much-criticised, racially charged poster describing Hong Kong’s players as “black-skinned, yellow-skinned and white-skinned”. “They only represent a small portion of Hong Kong”, he told AFP. Chinese supporter and government worker Fan Yufeng, 33, who crossed the border to watch the game, said the spectators who showed anti-China feelings did not speak for all of Hong Kong.

China now stay third in Group C behind leaders Qatar and Hong Kong.

About 500 away fans are expected to turn up.

This isn’t the only World Cup qualifier being played under tight security.

Thai fans will be closely watching events in Kaohsiung, where hosts Taiwan can put them into the next round if they avoid defeat to Iraq in Group F. China need to win their remaining matches to keep alive their hopes of advancing to the next phase as one of the four best second-placed teams in eight groups.