Breakthroughs in frontier technologies have significantly enhanced the appeal of Chinese assets, capturing the attention of global investors and driving a sustained surge in foreign capital inflows.
From the global buzz around DeepSeek's AI models to rapid advancements in humanoid robots, China has achieved a series of landmark innovations in cutting-edge technologies this year, highlighting its growing prowess in technological innovation.
That has significantly boosted overseas interest in assets including A-shares -- stocks traded on exchanges in the Chinese mainland.
According to a recent Morgan Stanley report, foreign investors netted 4.6 billion U.S. dollars into China's stock market in September, the highest monthly inflow in 10 months.
In the first nine months of this year, overseas passive funds poured a cumulative 18 billion U.S. dollars into Chinese equities, already surpassing the full-year total of 7 billion U.S. dollars in 2024.
Jiang Xianwei, senior global market strategist for China at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, noted that they have launched multiple A-share equity funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in recent years to actively position in the Chinese market.
"In the investment management of active funds, we have actively increased the relevant positions. According to our 2025 interim fund reports, the average portfolio allocation of our actively managed equity and equity-biased hybrid funds reached 88.31 percent. We are also actively expanding our product offerings, including green bond funds aligned with the Common Ground Taxonomy and sci-tech innovation bond ETFs," said Jiang.
Data from the Shanghai-based financial information services provider Wind show that as of the end of the third quarter, A-share holdings by northbound funds -- the capital flow from Hong Kong and overseas investors into Chinese mainland's stock market through the Stock Connect program -- reached 2.58 trillion yuan (about 362 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of over 300 billion yuan (about 42 billion U.S. dollars) year-to-date, marking three consecutive quarters of growth.
Multiple global investment institutions are echoing this bullish sentiment. Goldman Sachs recently reaffirmed its overweight recommendation on A-shares and H-shares, which are shares of enterprises incorporated in the Chinese mainland that are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Meanwhile, HSBC highlighted tech stocks as their main allocation direction.
Kuang Zheng, chief investment director for China at HSBC Global Private Banking and Wealth Management, noted that they see strong potential for valuation re-rating in China's tech sector, driven by AI and technological self-reliance. He added that leading Chinese tech giants still trade at a 30-to-40-percent discount compared to their global peers.
Global investors attribute the rising allure of Chinese assets to a confluence of factors: accelerating innovation capabilities, robust policy support, and improving domestic risk appetite amid ample liquidity.
"What's truly driving global capital's shift toward Chinese equities are China's breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and semiconductors. The much-discussed 'DeepSeek moment' has demonstrated to global investors that China can independently develop high-performing AI models at significantly lower costs. This, combined with continuous government policy support for technological advancement and substantial capital expenditures by Chinese tech giants in AI and semiconductors, [is reshaping international investor sentiment]," said Wu Chun-lai, head of Asia Asset Allocation at UBS Global Wealth Management.
"Foreign investment in China's stock market is primarily driven by institutional investors, who tend to adopt a medium- to long-term, stable investment approach. Increased foreign holdings of A-shares could positively enhance market funding stability and may also support a sustained improvement in valuations over the medium to long term," said Jiang.
Tech sector boosts appeal of Chinese assets as global investors increase allocation
