The latest surge in Chinese equities has caught many investors off guard. For months sentiment around the region’s markets was subdued, weighed by familiar concerns over property stress and sluggish consumption. Yet a sharp and unexpected pivot has arrived, with AI now acting as the centrepiece of renewed enthusiasm. The rally has been swift, lifting benchmarks in both Shanghai and Hong Kong to levels not seen in years, and the intensity of flows suggests that momentum is being driven by more than short-term trading.
At the heart of this move is the belief that China is positioning itself not only as a user of artificial intelligence but as an essential builder of its infrastructure. Local technology leaders are ramping up investment in computing power, semiconductors and data centres. Such commitments have provided a focal point for capital, giving investors tangible signals that the sector may enjoy durable policy and financial support. This comes at a time when global competition for AI leadership is intensifying, making China’s domestic capabilities strategically important.
What stands out is that China’s equity narrative has shifted meaningfully in a short time. The market is no longer defined only by property woes or cyclical recovery hopes but by a more forward-looking race to build domestic technology capacity.
Fidelity China Special Situations PLC (LON:FCSS), the UK’s largest China Investment Trust, capitalises on Fidelity’s extensive, locally-based analyst team to find attractive opportunities in a market too big to ignore.