(Bloomberg) — Chinese stocks in Hong Kong gained after a meeting between President Xi Jinping and prominent entrepreneurs signaled Beijing’s endorsement of the private sector.
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The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 1.8%, taking its rally since a January low to nearly 24%. Technology stocks including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Xiaomi Corp. contributed the most to Tuesday’s advance. The CSI 300 Index, an onshore benchmark, ended 0.9% lower amid signs of profit taking.
Xi promised to abolish unreasonable fines against private firms and urged entrepreneurs to maintain their competitive spirit. The show of support is seen adding fuel to this year’s world-beating rally in Chinese stocks, which has largely been driven by optimism over DeepSeek’s artificial intelligence capabilities. Alibaba’s Jack Ma and DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng were among the attendees at the meeting.
It’s a rare moment in the limelight for the nation’s behemoth tech sector, after being shunned by investors for years amid price wars, sluggish consumer demand, and regulatory uncertainties. Wall Street strategists including those at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have released bullish calls in recent weeks as they expect AI to support corporate earnings and prompt a re-evaluation of the broader market.
“President Xi’s meeting with Chinese entrepreneurs marks a significant shift in China’s approach to the private sector,” said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets. “This should add further momentum to the China tech names which have been rallying on the back of DeepSeek development and flows getting diverted from the capex-heavy Magnificent Seven.”
Up about 26% in 2025, the Hang Seng Tech Index is beating gains seen in the broader equity indexes in Hong Kong and China.
In contrast, Chinese government bonds fell, with the one-year yield rising as high as 1.5% — a level unseen since August. That came as investors shift funds into stocks and liquidity tightens in the money market.
Despite growing optimism, skeptics caution that AI will do little to resolve economic woes ranging from the property crisis and a lack of consumer confidence. It’s also unclear how DeepSeek’s technological achievements will filter through to corporate earnings.
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