China launches the Bond Connect scheme on 3 July 2017, two weeks after MSCI announced that it would add 222 large cap Chinese domestic stocks to its benchmark Emerging Markets Index. Both events follow the inclusion of the renminbi in the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket in October 2016. Although their short-term market impact may be small, these developments may prove to be long-term game changers that could boost China’s asset prices over time.