China’s blue-chip CSI300 Index and the Shanghai Composite Index both gained 0.6% by the lunch break.

Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng was up 0.7%.

The CSI300 Index was up just 0.1% so far this week, while the Hang Seng Index was down 1.1%.

The CSI Index was largely flat this month after a 16% rally this year.

Chinese chip stocks were little changed after Reuters reported the Trump administration has launched a review that could allow the first shipments of Nvidia’s second-most powerful artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China.

Onshore AI shares rose 1.3%, while Hong Kong-listed tech majors were 1.1% higher, after hitting a five-month low earlier this week.

The CSI Tourism Index, with the China Tourism Group Duty Free up 7.3%, after China launched a US$113 billion free-trade experiment on Hainan island.

Nomura analysts said the gap between the property sector and exports is likely to persist, forecasting China’s GDP growth at 4.3% in 2026, easing to 4.1% in the first half before rebounding to 4.5% in the second on expected spring stimulus and a lower base.