BEIJING, Feb. 5 -- The Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday that it will issue this year's first batch of renminbi-denominated treasury bonds in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on February 19.

The scale of the bonds will be 12.5 billion yuan (about 1.74 billion U.S. dollars), according to a statement released by the ministry.

Specific issuance arrangements will be announced on the website of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's Central Moneymarkets Unit, according to the ministry.