SHANGHAI: Mainland China and Hong Kong stocks advanced on Wednesday, with the Shanghai benchmark hitting a more than a decade high, as upbeat trade data lifted market sentiment. At the midday break, the Shanghai Composite index rose 1.2% to 4,188.24 points, the highest level since June 30, 2015. The blue-chip CSI300 index gained 1.08%. The smaller Shenzhen index was up 2.13%, the start-up board ChiNext Composite index rose by 2.24% and Shanghai’s tech-focused STAR50 index surged 3.71%. China reported a strong export run in 2025 with a record trillion-dollar surplus, as producers braced for three more years of a Trump administration set on slowing the production powerhouse by shifting US orders to other markets. “Strong export growth helps to mitigate weak domestic demand,” said Zhiwei Zhang, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management. “Combined with the booming stock market and stable US-China relations, the government is likely to keep the macro policy stance unchanged at least in the first quarter.” President Donald Trump said he thinks China can open its markets to American goods, once again asserting he had a good relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. US on Tuesday formally greenlit China-bound sales of Nvidia’s H200 chips, its second-most powerful artificial intelligence chip, putting in place a rule that will likely kickstart shipments despite deep concerns among China hawks in Washington. AI shares were one of the biggest winners in morning deals, with a sub-index tracking the sector jumping 3.01%. Hygon Information Technology surged 5.96%, while Cambricon Technologies Corp rose 1.56%. In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 0.92%, while the city’s tech shares leapt 1.53%. Separately, market participants look to China’s December credit lending data due later this week for more clues on the health of the economy.‑Reuters