BEIJING -- The Shanghai-Hong Kong stock exchange connection will start stock trading on Nov 17, according to a joint statement released on Monday by securities watchdogs of the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong have approved the launch of the pilot program to provide mutual trading access between the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock markets, the statement said.

Since the issuance of a joint announcement on April 10, the CSRC and the SFC have worked closely together to prepare for the launch of the Shanghai-Hong Kong stock connect, it said.

The program allows investors of the two sides to trade shares on each other's exchanges.

The necessary trading and clearing rules and other relevant rules, the daily and aggregate quota mechanisms and other regulatory and operational arrangements have now been finalized, it said.