Notice of the Ministry of Finance and the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council on Issues concerning Accounting Firms Undertaking the Audit of Final Financial Accounts of Centrally Administered Enterprises

财政部、国务院国有资产监督管理委员会关于会计师事务所承担中央企业财务决算审计有关问题的通知

Promulgating Institution:  Ministry of Finance; State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council

Document Number:  Cai Kuai [2011] No.24

Promulgating Date:  12/29/2011

Effective Date:  12/29/2011

颁布机关:  财政部; 国务院国有资产监督管理委员会

文     号:  财会[2011]24号

颁布时间:  12/29/2011

实施时间:  12/29/2011

Text

正文

To the finance departments (bureaus) and State-owned assets supervision and administration commissions of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and cities specifically designated in the State plan, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and all the centrally administered enterprises,

In order to further regulate accounting firms’ acts of undertaking the audit of final financial accounts of centrally administered enterprises, improve the quality of the audit of final financial accounts , encourage accounting firms to grow larger and stronger and promote their regulated development, the issues concerning accounting firms’ undertaking of final financial account auditing of central administered enterprises are hereby notified as follows:

    各省、自治区、直辖市、计划单列市财政厅(局)、国资委,新疆生产建设兵团国资委,各中央管理企业:

    为了进一步规范会计师事务所承担中央企业财务决算审计行为,提高财务决算审计质量,促进会计师事务所做大做强和规范发展,现就会计师事务所承担中央企业财务决算审计有关事项通知如下:

1. The chief accounting firms undertaking the audit of final financial accounts of centrally administered enterprises shall rank among the top 50 accounting firms in the comprehensive evaluation of accounting firms throughout the country. Other participating accounting firms undertaking the audit of final financial accounts of centrally administered enterprises shall, in principle, rank among the top 100 accounting firms in the comprehensive evaluation of accounting firms throughout the country. The specific list shall be based on the information about the top 100 rankings in the comprehensive evaluation of accounting firms that is published by the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants every year.

Large accounting firms that are examined and recommended by the Ministry of Finance and the China Securities Regulatory Commission to perform auditing of H-share enterprises and have completed the system conversion to special general partnership may be given priority to undertake the audit of final financial accounts of centrally administered enterprises under the same conditions.

       一、承担中央企业财务决算审计的主审会计师事务所,应当进入全国会计师事务所综合评价排名前50位,承担中央企业财务决算审计的参审会计师事务所,原则上应进入全国会计师事务所综合评价排名前100位,具体名单以中国注册会计师协会每年公布的会计师事务所综合评价排名前百家信息为准(下同)。

    经财政部、证监会审核推荐从事H股企业审计且已经完成特殊普通合伙转制的大型会计师事务所,在同等条件下可优先承担中央企业财务决算审计工作。

2. An accounting firm shall undertake the audit of final financial accounts of the same centrally administered enterprise on a continuous basis for not less than two years and not more than five years. An accounting firm ranking among the top 15 accounting firms in the comprehensive evaluation of accounting firms throughout the country and with excellent auditing quality may appropriately extend the auditing period upon the application by the relevant enterprise and the approval by the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, but the continuous auditing period shall not exceed eight years. With regard to a large accounting firm that .is examined and recommended by the Ministry of Finance and the China Securities Regulatory Commission to perform audits of H-share enterprises, has completed the conversion to special general partnership and has a continuous auditing period reaching the limit set forth in the above provision, its rotation may be postponed for two years from the year in which it completes the industrial and commercial registration for system conversion upon the application by the relevant enterprise and the approval by the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, but the continuous auditing period shall not exceed ten years. If the above auditing period is exceeded, the enterprise shall rotate the accounting firm. The status of the completion of the system conversion to special general partnership of Sino-foreign cooperative accounting firms shall be recognized by the Ministry of Finance, with the copy of the recognition result sent to the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

If the continuous auditing period of an accounting firm may exceed five years in accordance with the above provision, the partners of the auditing project and the certified public accountant that signs the auditing reports shall be replaced from the sixth year.

       二、会计师事务所连续承担同一家中央企业财务决算审计业务应不少于2年,不超过5年;进入全国会计师事务所综合评价排名前15位且审计质量优良的会计师事务所,经相关企业申请、国资委核准,可适当延长审计年限,但连续审计年限应不超过8年。经财政部、证监会审核推荐从事H股企业审计且已经完成特殊普通合伙转制的大型会计师事务所,连续审计年限达到上述规定的,经相关企业申请、国资委核准,可自完成转制工商登记当年起延缓2年轮换,但连续审计年限最长不超过10年。超过上述审计年限规定的,企业应当予以轮换。中外合作会计师事务所完成特殊普通合伙转制的情况由财政部认定,认定结果抄送国资委。

    会计师事务所连续审计年限按上述规定可以超过5年的,应当自第6年起更换审计项目合伙人和签字注册会计师。

3. The Ministry of Finance and the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission encourage accounting firms with securities qualification, and in particular large accounting firms, to establish branches or offices in the countries and regions which are the key targets of centrally administered enterprises’ “going global” policy, and provide financial and final account audit and relevant consultation services for centrally administered enterprises that “go global”. The specific measures shall be separately formulated by the Ministry of Finance and the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission in consultation with the relevant departments of the State Council.

       三、财政部、国资委鼓励证券资格的会计师事务所尤其是大型会计师事务所在中央企业“走出去”的重点国家和地区设立分支机构或办事机构,为“走出去”的中央企业提供财务决算审计和相关咨询服务。具体办法由财政部、国资委商国务院有关部门另行制定。

4. An accounting firm undertaking the audit of final financial accounts of centrally administered enterprises shall strictly comply with the national secret-guarding laws, regulations and systems. The foreign employees (including partners, managers and other practitioners) of accounting firms shall not get access to centrally administered enterprises’ classified data and information in whatever way or enter final account auditing sites of military or other classified centrally administered enterprises. The classified data and information and classified centrally administered enterprises shall be recognized in accordance with the provisions of the State competent secret-guarding departments.

The information systems and databases (including the corresponding software and hardware equipment) of accounting firms undertaking the audit of final financial accounts of centrally administered enterprises shall be located within the territory of China. If the accounting firms are member firms, affiliate firms or cooperative firms of international accounting firms or have other business cooperation relationship with international accounting firms, their information systems and databases shall be physically separated from these international accounting firms.

If an accounting firm undertakes the audit of final financial accounts of and other audit and consultation services to an overseas listed company subordinated to a centrally administered enterprise, the requirements on the protection of the confidentiality of data and information and archive administration shall be subject to the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality Protection and Archive Administration Relating to Offshore Securities Offering and Listing (Announcement [2009] No.29 of the China Securities Regulatory Commission) jointly formulated by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the Administration for the Protection of State Secrets and the State Archives Administration.

Accounting firms that do not comply with the provisions of this Clause shall not undertake the audit of final financial accounts of or provide relevant consultation services to centrally administered enterprises.

       四、会计师事务所承担中央企业财务决算审计,应当严格遵守国家保密法规制度的规定。会计师事务所的外籍员工(含合伙人、经理和其他从业人员),不得以任何方式接触中央企业的涉密资料和信息,不得进入军工等涉密中央企业财务决算审计现场。涉密资料、信息和涉密中央企业的认定,按照国家保密主管部门的规定执行。

    承担中央企业财务决算审计的会计师事务所,其信息系统和数据库(含相应的软硬件设备)应当置于境内。该会计师事务所为国际会计公司的成员所、联系所、合作所或者与国际会计公司存在其他业务合作关系的,其信息系统和数据库应当与国际会计公司物理隔离。

    会计师事务所承担中央企业所属境外上市公司财务决算审计和其他审计、咨询服务的,对于资料、信息保密和档案管理的要求,执行证监会、保密局、档案局联合制定的《关于加强在境外发行证券与上市相关保密和档案管理工作的规定》(证监会公告[2009]29号)。

    不符合本条款规定的会计师事务所,不得承担中央企业财务决算审计工作和相关咨询服务工作。

5. If an accounting firm with securities qualification, which has completed the system conversion to partnership or the special general partnership before June 30, 2013, undertakes the audit of final financial accounts of centrally administered enterprises, the relevant provisions regarding large accounting firms as specified in Clause 2 herein shall apply as the reference in the implementation of its rotation period.

Unless expressly specified in this Notice, the relevant provisions of the Notice of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission on Strengthening the Audit of Final Financial Accounts of Centrally Administered Enterprises (Guo Zi Ting Fa Ping Jia [2005] No. 43) and the Notice on Printing and Distributing the Replies to the Questions Relating to the Audit of Final Financial Accounts of Centrally Administered Enterprises (Guo Zi Ting Fa Ping Jia [2006] No. 23) shall continue to be implemented with respect to accounting firms' undertaking of the audit of final financial accounts of centrally administered enterprises.

Ministry of Finance

State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission

December 29, 2011

       五、在2013年6月30日之前完成合伙制或者特殊普通合伙制转制工作的证券资格会计师事务所承担中央企业财务决算审计，其轮换年限可比照本通知第二条大型会计师事务所的有关规定执行。

    除本通知有明确规定外，会计师事务所承担中央企业财务决算审计继续执行国资委《关于加强中央企业财务决算审计工作的通知》（国资厅发评价[2005]43号）和《关于印发<中央企业财务决算审计有关问题解答>的通知》（国资厅发评价[2006]23号）的有关规定。

    财政部

   国资委

    二〇一一年十二月二十九日