BEIJING, Jan. 05 -- The China Securities Index Co (CSI) is to launch the CSI Cross-Straits 500 Index on Jan 18 to reflect the performance of equity markets on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

A total of 500 stocks are chosen as samples of the CSI Cross-Straits 500 Index, including the 300 stocks covered by the Hushen 300 Index, 100 stocks of CSI Hong Kong 100 Index and 100 stocks selected on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, CSI said in a statement on its website Sunday.

The sample stocks would be changed every six months, it said.

Latest statistics showed that the 500 stocks under the CSI Cross-Straits 500 Index, with a combined market value of 32 trillion yuan ($4.7 trillion), accounted for about 75 percent of total market value on the bourses on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, it said.

The index is set at 1,000 on the base date of Dec 31 of 2004.

As of the end of 2009, the index climbed 46.2 percent from the base date to 1,462 points.