BEIJING, — The Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Oct 10 issued yuan-denominated treasury bonds worth 5 billion yuan (about $723 million) in Hong Kong.

The issuance was an additional offering to the previous 5 billion yuan in treasury bonds issued in Hong Kong in July, the MOF said in a statement.

On Oct 10, 4.5 billion yuan worth of bonds priced at 100 yuan were issued to institutional investors, with the yield for 3 billion yuan of two-year bonds standing at 3.65 percent and a yield of 3.8 percent for 1.5 billion yuan of five-year bonds.

The remaining 500 million yuan of bonds were issued to foreign central banks and regional monetary authorities, consisting of 300 million yuan of two-year bonds and 200 million yuan of five-year bonds.

The MOF started selling yuan-denominated treasury bonds in Hong Kong in September 2009 to boost the region’s economy and speed up the expansion of offshore yuan business.