Bank of China to make Grand Prix debut with the Royal Bank of Scotland

25th September 2006 The upcoming Shanghai Grand Prix will see WilliamsF1 Team sponsor, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) joining forces with partner, Bank of China. Bank of China and the RBS brands will both be represented on the WilliamsF1 cars for this race, demonstrating the growing strength and visibility of the partnership.

In August 2005, Bank of China signed an agreement with the Royal Bank of Scotland Group and RBS China, under which RBS China purchased a 10% stake in Bank of China for $3.048bn. Alongside the investment, Bank of China and RBS agreed to cooperate in credit cards, wealth management and insurance and have close working relationships in areas including governance, risk control and financial management.

The partnership has witnessed important progress so far. The two sides have completed over $0.6 billion of corporate banking transactions together and are building a joint credit card unit. Bank of China and RBS have also committed to open two private bank branches targeted at high net worth individuals by early 2007, one in Beijing and one in Shanghai,

Wang Zhaowen, Bank of China spokesman said, The Bank of China and RBS teams are working together very well and the relationship is moving ahead at great speed. The opportunity to partner with RBS in the dual branding of the WilliamsF1 car for Shanghai presents an excellent opportunity for Bank of China to project itself internationally. As an international bank, Bank of China s perspective has always been international and

this, along with our sponsorship of the Olympics in Beijing in 2008, reinforces this commitment.

Howard Moody, RBS Group Director, Communications said, We are extremely pleased with the progress we have made to date in our business partnerships with Bank of China. The opportunity to dual brand the WilliamsF1 cars for the Shanghai Grand Prix, further demonstrates our commitment to the partnership and its visibility within China and internationally, and we are delighted to be appearing alongside them at this prestigious event in the F1 calendar.

The change to the car branding is one in a series of activities that RBS and the Bank of China have scheduled in the lead up to the Shanghai Grand Prix. En-route to Shanghai, WilliamsF1 driver Mark Webber and three times Formula 1 World Champion and RBS global ambassador Sir Jackie Stewart will both spend time in Hong Kong and Beijing to participate in a series of media and business engagements intended to raise RBS s profile in Asia.

Amongst the activities, a show car will be out on display in Hong Kong airport and in the Bank of China s headquarter in Shanghai. Customers and staff will be invited to the headquarter in Shanghai to meet the Team drivers and Sir Jackie Stewart.

There will be a number of media events involving both Bank of China and RBS in the build up to and during the Shanghai Grand Prix:

Date Wednesday 27th September

Event WilliamsF1 driver Mark Webber will be favouring a two-wheeled method of transport over his race car when he joins China's premier cycling squad The Marco Polo Team. Mark will be looking to challenge the team whilst honing the cycling skills he relies on regularly as part of his own fitness regime. Having recently won the Tour of Siam, the team is led by Li Fu Yu, the 2005 Chinese National Games Champion and only Chinese winner of the Tour of Thailand.
For more information, contact: Dominic Curran +44 7939 075135 /
dominicc@karen-earl.co.uk.

Time 1430 hrs

Venue North West corner of The Forbidden City, Beijing

Date Wednesday 27th September

Event Sir Jackie Stewart and Mark Webber visit Bank of China Headquarter.

Time 1600

Venue Beijing Headquarters, Bank of China

No 1 Fuxingmen Nei Dajie, Beijing

Date Thursday 28th September

Event Press Reception Formal unveiling of the dual branded Bank of China/RBS by Sir Jackie Stewart, Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg and WilliamsF1 car at Shanghai Branch, Bank of China

Time 2000

Venue Shanghai Branch, Bank of China

200 Mid. Yincheng Road

Shanghai 200121