Value Partners Launches UCITS-compliant Absolute-return Greater China Fund

HONG KONG, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Value Partners Group Limited ("Value Partners") announced that it has launched its first self-branded UCITS-compliant fund -- Value Partners Absolute Greater China Classic Fund (the "Fund"). This will be managed by its award-winning investment team based in Hong Kong, headed by co-CIOs Mr. Cheah Cheng-hye and Mr. Louis So, who were named CIO of the Year in Asia in 2011 by Asia Asset Management.

The managers employ a flexible, value investing approach and place great emphasis on bottom-up stock-picking relying on extensive on-the-ground research. The Fund aims to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through investment in equity and equity-related securities listed in the Asia Pacific, particularly in the Greater China region. It follows the same investment process of Value Partners' flagship product, Value Partners Classic Fund (Cayman)(1), which has a 19-year track record in delivering a remarkable 20 times return since its launch in 1993. As a result of its outstanding performance, the Value Partners Classic fund was awarded Best Long-Term Performance Fund (10 years) by AsiaHedge Awards 2011(2).

Mr. Timothy Tse, Chief Executive Officer of Value Partners said: "Under the current Eurozone debt crisis and slow global growth environment, investors are keen to explore fund products that have an Asian focus and exposure. This new UCITS Fund provides investors with an opportunity to access the strong growth potential in Greater China at a relatively attractive valuation through a well-recognized, regulated vehicle."

Value Partners Absolute Greater China Classic Fund is a sub-fund of Value Partners Ireland Fund plc, a Dublin-domiciled umbrella company authorized by the Central Bank as an undertaking for collective investment in transferable securities pursuant to the European Communities (Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities) Regulations 2011(3). It offers investors daily liquidity and multiple currency share classes, including but not limited to USD, EUR (hedged), EUR (unhedged) and HKD.

Founded in 1993, Value Partners has solid experience in investing in Greater China-related equities and prides itself in its in-depth proprietary research via conducting 2,500 company visits a year. In 2012, for the second year in a row, the company claimed the Best Equity Group Award by Lipper Fund Awards (Hong Kong)(4), which was the only equity group award given out amongst a list of more than 70 award winners.

For more information on the Fund, please visit: www.valuepartners.net.

Remarks:

1. While the intention is to follow a similar strategy to Value Partners Classic Fund ("Classic (Cayman)"), there can be no guarantee as the Fund is subject to the UCITS regulations and restrictions which do not entirely apply to Classic (Cayman) (being a non-UCITS fund), and past performance is not a reliable guide to future performance.
2. Value Partners Classic Fund is not authorized as a hedge fund by the Securities and Futures Commission ("SFC") in Hong Kong according to the Code on Unit Trusts and Mutual Funds. SFC authorization is not a recommendation or endorsement of a scheme nor does it guarantee the commercial merits of a scheme or its performance. It does not mean the scheme is suitable for all investors nor is it an endorsement of its suitability for any particular investor or class of investors.
3. Value Partners Ireland Fund plc (the "Company") is both authorized and supervised by the Central Bank. Authorization of the Company by the Central Bank shall not constitute a warranty as to the performance of the Company and the Central Bank shall not be liable for the performance or default of the Company. The authorization of the Company is not an endorsement or guarantee of the Company by the Central Bank.
4. Based on data as of year-end 2011.

About Value Partners Group Limited

Value Partners is one of Asia's largest asset management firms with assets under management of over US$7.9 billion (approximately EUR 6.2 billion) as of 30 April 2012 (unaudited Group AUM). Since our establishment in 1993, we have been a dedicated value investor with a focus on the Greater China region. In November 2007, the Value Partners Group became the only asset management firm listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Stock code: 806 HK). We manage absolute return long-biased funds, long-short hedge funds, exchange-traded funds, quantitative funds, and private equity funds for institutional and individual clients in the Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States.

No investor should subscribe to the Fund without having read the Prospectus, Supplement and relevant Key Investor Information Document. Investors should note that the Fund is not a guaranteed fund. Value of investment in the Fund can go down as well as up and return upon such investment will therefore necessarily be variable. Neither past experience nor the current situation are necessarily accurate guides to the future. Changes in exchange rates may have an adverse effect on the value price or income of the Fund. Investors should also be aware that the Fund may be subject to sudden and large falls in value, in which case investors could lose the total value of their initial investment. For more details and/or for a full list of available share classes, please refer to the Prospectus, Supplement and relevant Key Investor Information Document.

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