24.04.202502:16:50UTC+00China Stocks Edge Higher on Trade Deal Hopes

Chinese stocks experienced slight increases on Thursday, with the Shanghai Composite Index inching up by 0.2% to surpass the 3,300 mark, and the Shenzhen Component climbing 0.1% to reach 9,947. Investors showed cautious optimism in response to potential advancements in U.S.-China trade relations. Market sentiment improved following indications that U.S. President Donald Trump might be easing his stance on China. Concurrently, Beijing expressed a willingness to engage in new trade discussions, provided that the U.S. refrains from further threats. Despite this, investor optimism was tempered by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's remarks, clarifying that President Trump has not made any unilateral proposals to reduce tariffs and that formal negotiations have not yet commenced. Stocks leading the gains included prominent companies such as Hyunion Holding (+10%), Hongbaoli Group (+4.5%), Qingdao Kingking (+3.1%), Ningbo Shuanglin (+2.8%), and Zhejiang Wanfeng (+3.2%).