China's insurance regulator issued detailed rules on Thursday governing how insurers invest their profits, which reiterated the ban on direct investment in property development and specified the ratio of funds that insurers could invest in new sectors such as unlisted companies.

Insurance companies will not be allowed to invest more than 10 percent of their assets, as of the latest quarter, in the property market, according to the Provisional Measures on Insurance Capital Uses posted on the website of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission.

Further, insurance companies will be allowed to invest up to 20 percent of their assets in the stock market and up to 5 percent in purchasing stakes in unlisted companies.

They are permitted to invest up to 20 percent of their assets in unsecured corporate bonds and debts of non-financial enterprises and up to 5 percent in debt related to infrastructure projects.

The regulator also announced restrictions on insurers' investment in derivatives and asked insurers to strengthen risk controls.

The new rules will take effect on Aug. 31, 2010.

(Xinhua News Agency August 6, 2010)