The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is increasing inquiries made of Chinese companies looking to list on US equity markets, adding as many as 20 new questions to the filing process over the last month. The new required disclosures center around the nature of the dividend structure, cash flow, and tax status of the variable interest entity (VIE) vehicle that is typically used to circumvent Chinese restrictions on foreign ownership and tap into overseas financial markets. Additionally, and potentially more significantly, the SEC is mandating new disclosures concerning the political and regulatory risks that a variable interest entity could...