China's five-year treasury bond futures opened higher on Tuesday, with the contract for settlement in September 2017 opening 0.07 percent higher at 97.46 yuan (about 14.61 U.S. dollars).

The contract for settlement in December 2017 opened 0.07 percent higher at 97.66 yuan. The contract for settlement in March 2018 opened at 97.795 yuan, 0.02 percent higher from the previous close.

The contracts are agreements to buy or sell treasury bonds at a predetermined price and set date. They allow investors to bet on and profit from the movements in the value of the bonds.

The treasury bond futures were launched at the Shanghai-based China Financial Futures Exchange and started trading on Sept. 6, 2013.