By P.R. Venkat

NetEase Inc. is applying for a secondary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, joining the list of Chinese companies look to tap the city's market.

The online-games company, which listed on the Nasdaq nearly two decades ago, has appointed Credit Suisse, J.P. Morgan and China International Capital Corp9. as joint sponsors for the deal, according to an application filed to the Hong Kong Exchange.

The application didn't disclose the timing of the IPO nor the amount NetEase is planning to raise.

People familiar with the IPO process had previously said that NetEase may start taking orders from investors as early as next week and seek to raise between $2 billion and $3 billion.

Another U.S.-listed Chinese company, JD.com Inc., is also planning a secondary listing in Hong Kong, the people said.

For the three months ended March, NetEase's net profit rose 49% to $501.5 million from a year earlier, while revenue increased 18% to $2.41 billion, the application showed.

Last year, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. raised roughly $13 billion through a stock sale in the city.

NetEase's American depositary receipts have risen nearly 26% this year, giving it a market capitalization of nearly $48 billion as of Thursday.

"I believe that returning to a market that is closer to our roots will further fuel our passion in our business and our users," William Ding, founder and chief executive of NetEase said in a letter. 



  Write to P.R. Venkat at venkat.pr@wsj.com