Chinese shares close lower Monday

Chinese stocks closed lower on Monday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.09 percent to 4,132.61 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.85 percent lower at 14,316.64 points.

The combined turnover of these two indices totaled 3.25 trillion yuan (about 465.33 billion U.S. dollars), up from 3.09 trillion yuan on the previous trading day.

Stocks related to non-ferrous metals, oil and gas, as well as chemical engineering led the gains, while shares in the commercial spaceflight and semiconductor device sectors suffered major losses.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, lost 0.91 percent to close at 3,319.15 points on Monday.

The STAR Composite Index, which reflects the performance of stocks on China's sci-tech innovation board, closed 2.23 percent lower on Monday at 1,857.5 points.

As China's stock market continues to rebound, international investors are increasingly recognizing the country's high-quality development prospects, announcing plans to maintain an overweight allocation to Chinese assets in 2026 and step up long-term investment, citing confidence in their innovation and sustained growth.

Global investors are shifting their focus from short-term valuation gains to the long-term growth potential of Chinese assets, as corporate transformation and industrial upgrading accelerate. The steady improvement in corporate fundamentals has become the core driver underpinning foreign investors' bullish outlook.

"In the past, markets mainly focused on relative valuation attractiveness. Now, more and more companies are proving themselves through earnings performance and cash flow. We see continuous improvements in Chinese firms' capabilities in research and development investment, product iteration, and global expansion. Innovation is no longer just about scaling up, but increasingly about efficiency and quality," said Wen Tianna, President of Hong Kong Boda Capital International.

The sustained innovation capacity of Chinese enterprises, coupled with targeted governmental policies, is further amplifying the global appeal of Chinese assets.

"For global investors, Chinese assets offer both high-quality earnings growth and strong macro policy support, making them a core component of global asset allocation," said Wang Xinjie, Chief Investment Strategist of Standard Chartered China Wealth Solutions Department.

Looking ahead to 2026, investment in the AI industrial chain has emerged as a broad consensus. Meanwhile, sectors such as new consumption are also becoming focal points, drawing increasing global attention to opportunities in China.

"Recently, our UBS Greater China Conference in Shanghai attracted more than 3,600 participants. Notably, the number of investors from the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa rose by 32 percent year on year. The surge in Chinese innovation is creating valuable opportunities for global investors to position for high-quality growth," said Xu Bin, Head of Research from UBS Securities.