The Hang Seng Index climbed 0.7 per cent to 26,136.81 as of 10am local time, extending a 0.7 per cent gain on Thursday. The Hang Seng Tech Index advanced 1.3 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index rose 0.4 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.3 per cent.
Tech heavyweights led the gainers. E-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holding jumped 1.9 per cent to HK$167.70, after opening pre-orders for smart glasses powered by its AI software. Chinese homegrown chipmaker SMIC surged 4.9 per cent to HK$77.70, while short-video platform Kuaishou Technology advanced 1.8 per cent to HK$74.85.
Limiting gains, electric-vehicle maker Li Auto fell 0.8 per cent to HK$86.20, while sportswear producer Li Ning slipped 1 per cent to HK$18.36, and food-delivery service provider Meituan lost 1.1 per cent to HK$98.90.
The communique’s release came before a meeting between the Chinese and US leaders scheduled for Thursday next week – their first face-to-face encounter since Trump returned to the White House in January. They are expected to discuss a wide range of issues, from trade tariffs and export controls to the Russia-Ukraine war.
