sponsors of terrorism. One or more of these
companies may be subject to constraints under U.S. law or regulations that could negatively affect the company’s performance. Additionally, one or more of these companies could suffer damage to its
reputation if the market identifies it as a company that invests or deals with countries that the U.S. government identifies as state sponsors of terrorism or is subject to sanctions.
Geographic Focus Risk. The Fund may from time to time have a substantial amount of its assets invested in securities of issuers
located in a single country or a limited number of countries. Adverse economic, political or
social conditions in those countries may therefore have a significant negative impact on the Fund’s investment performance.
European Investment Risk. The Economic and Monetary Union (the EMU) of the European Union (the EU) requires compliance by member countries with restrictions on inflation
rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on
trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have significant adverse effects on
the economies of EU member countries and the EU and Europe as a whole. Responses to these and other
financial problems by European governments, central banks, and others, including austerity
measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may limit future growth and economic recovery, or may result in social unrest, or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and
other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets, and asset valuations around the world. A number of countries in Eastern Europe remain relatively undeveloped and can be
particularly sensitive to political and economic developments. Separately, the EU faces issues involving its membership, structure, procedures and policies. The exit of one or more member countries from the EU, such as
the departure of the United Kingdom (the UK), referred to as Brexit, could place the departing member’s currency and banking system under severe stress or even in jeopardy. An exit by other member countries will
likely result in increased volatility, illiquidity and potentially lower economic growth in the affected markets, which will adversely affect the Fund’s investments.
Asia Pacific Region Risk (including Japan). The level of
development of the economies of countries in the Asia Pacific region varies greatly. Furthermore,
since the economies of the countries in the region are largely intertwined, if an economic recession is experienced by any of these countries, it will likely adversely impact the economic performance of other countries in the region. Certain
economies in the region may be adversely affected by increased competition, high inflation rates, undeveloped financial services sectors, currency fluctuations or restrictions, political and social instability and
increased economic volatility.
The Fund’s Japanese investments may be
adversely affected by protectionist trade policies, slow economic activity worldwide, dependence
on exports and international trade, increasing competition from Asia’s other low-cost
emerging economies, political and social instability, regional and global conflicts and natural disasters, as well as by commodity markets fluctuations related to Japan’s limited natural resource supply. The Japanese economy also faces several
other concerns, including a financial system with large levels of nonperforming loans, over-leveraged corporate balance sheets, extensive cross-ownership by major corporations, a changing corporate governance structure,
and large government deficits.
Investments in companies located or operating in
Greater China (normally considered to be the geographical area that includes mainland China, Hong
Kong, Macau and Taiwan) involve risks and considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. and other Western nations, such as greater government control over the economy; political, legal and regulatory uncertainty;
nationalization, expropriation, or confiscation of property; lack of willingness or ability of the Chinese government to support the economies and markets of the Greater China region; lack of publicly
available information and difficulty in obtaining information necessary for audits of, investigations into and/or litigation against Chinese companies, as well as in obtaining and/or
enforcing judgments; limited legal remedies for shareholders; alteration or discontinuation of economic reforms; complex geopolitical tensions, military conflicts and the risk of war, either internal or with other countries;
assertions of human rights violations by certain nations; public health emergencies resulting in market closures, travel restrictions, quarantines or other interventions; inflation, currency fluctuations and fluctuations in
inflation and interest rates that may have negative effects on the economy and securities markets of Greater China; and Greater China’s dependency on the economies of other Asian countries, many of which are developing
countries. Events in any one country or region within Greater China may impact the other countries or regions or Greater China as a whole. Export growth continues to be a major driver of China’s rapid economic growth. As a
result, a reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, the institution of additional tariffs, sanctions, capital controls, embargoes, trade wars, or other trade barriers (or the threat thereof), including as a result of
trade tensions between China and the United States, or a downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy. In addition, actions by the U.S. government, such
as delisting of certain Chinese companies from U.S. securities exchanges or otherwise restricting their operations in the U.S., may negatively impact the value of such securities held by the Fund. Further, from
time to time, certain companies in which the Fund invests may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or in countries the U.S.
government identified as state sponsors of terrorism. One or more of these companies may be subject to constraints under U.S. law or regulations that could negatively affect the company’s performance. Additionally, the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has historically had difficulties in inspecting audit work papers and practices of PCAOB-registered accounting firms in China with respect to their audit work of U.S. reporting
companies. These difficulties may impose significant additional risks concerning the reliability of the audits and of the information about the Chinese securities or the potential delisting of a U.S.-listed Chinese issuer due to an
inability to inspect the issuer’s accounting firm.
Investments in Chinese companies may be made through a special structure known as a variable
interest entity (VIE) that is designed to provide foreign investors, such as the Fund, with exposure to Chinese companies that operate in certain sectors in which China restricts or prohibits foreign investments. Investments in VIEs
may pose additional risks because the investment is made through an intermediary shell company that has entered into service and other contracts with the underlying Chinese operating company in order to provide investors
with exposure to the operating company, and therefore does not represent equity ownership in the
operating company. The value of the shell company is derived from its ability to consolidate the
VIE into its financials pursuant to contractual arrangements that allow the shell company to exert a degree of control over, and obtain economic benefits arising from, the VIE without formal legal ownership. The contractual
arrangements between the shell company and the operating company may not be as effective in providing operational control as direct equity ownership, and a foreign investor’s (such as the Fund’s) rights may be
limited, including by actions of the Chinese government which could determine that the underlying contractual arrangements are invalid. While VIEs are a longstanding industry practice and are well known by Chinese
officials and regulators, historically the structure has not been formally recognized under Chinese law. However, effective March 31, 2023, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) released new rules and
implementing guidelines that permit the use of VIE structures, provided they abide by Chinese laws and register with the CSRC. The rules, however, may cause Chinese companies to undergo greater scrutiny and may make the process to
create VIEs more difficult and costly. Further, while the rules and implementing guidelines do not prohibit