You're pretty much limited to Hong Kong based indexes. They do list a Chinese futures contract. Check IB's website. They list some tradable contracts out there. Nothing directly available in China. It's still going up so there's no need to let you in yet. Developing market countries *like* investors but they really *hate* foreign based "traders" which are pretty much viewed as leeches. Then there's the issue of who pays taxes on (any) gains and the fact that brokers are often horrible, trading platforms are non-existent and commissions that make Schwab look cheap! Why do you think Swift is opening branches in China? Certainly not to trade Chinese stocks!
I found this on the Shanhai futures website. http://www.shfe.com.cn/Ehome/index.jsp?id=9 It says: QUESTION: "Can a foreign company or individual trade on SHFE markets now? " ANSWER: "At present the Chinese regulations stipulate that only the companies or organizations that are organized and registered on Mainland China or Mainland citizens are allowed to participate in the trading of local futures markets. All the trading is executed in Chinese Renminbi, or RMB." So I guess that mean Americans can't trade their market. We can only watch it on a chart. I guess. I don't know why Shanghai won't let us in, because we can trade the DAX(german emini) and we can trade other foreign emini's on the CME ( American based exchange)
At the risk of propigating stereotypes, a Chinese bubble that gets into the public blood the way ours did will make the nasdaq and japanese bubble look like peanuts -- gambling and speculating are "in our genes" so to speak. And speaking of, a great way to balance out the trade deficit between US and China is to allow american casino companies to develop a Las Vegas type city in the desert out there, maybe in Xinjiang (sp?) province. Money would come back this way mighty quickly . . .