SHANGHAI—China will further raise investment quotas under its Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors program, the primary channel for foreign capital to access the country's capital markets, when the current quotas are exhausted, China's top securities regulator said Sunday.

"QFII quotas will be further expanded after the current $80 billion are used up," said Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, referring to the current total of investment quotas under the program.

The QFII program began in 2002 and is one of the few ways foreign investors can trade domestically listed yuan-denominated A shares. Upon receiving a license from the securities regulator, QFIIs must apply to the foreign exchange regulator for an investment quota, which determines the maximum amount of money they are permitted to invest.

In April, Beijing increased the investment quotas for the QFII program to $80 billion from $30 billion.

Mr. Guo made the comment at a briefing on the sidelines of the Communist Party Congress that will unveil Beijing's next generation of leaders.

China is also considering offering QFIIs tax breaks and preferential tax policies, Mr. Guo said.

"We've made substantial progress in that regard," he added, without elaborating.

—Yue Li contributed to this article.

Write to Shen Hong at