China on Monday congratulated Russia on the successful holding of its State Duma elections, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday.
Speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing, spokesman Guo Jiakun was responding to a question about the preliminary results of the 9th State Duma, the lower house of parliament. "China extends congratulations over the smooth conclusion of the Russian State Duma elections. The elections are a major event on Russia's political calendar. The results of the elections represent the will of the Russian people. As a friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of coordination for a new era, China firmly supports the Russian people's independent choice and stands ready to continue working with the Russian side to deliver on the important common understandings between the two presidents, make fresh progress and bring bilateral relations to new heights," he said.
China congratulates Russia on successful State Duma elections: FM spokesman
Chinese stock markets saw growth on Monday with a big boost from healthcare and pharma stocks, said China Global Television Network (CGTN) market analyst Timothy Pope.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was up 0.97 percent to 3,949.91 points, and the Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.65 percent higher at 13,730.02 points.
According to Pope, the rally was all about pharmaceuticals.
"Healthcare and pharma stocks were really the big success story of Monday trade after the release on Friday of the Chinese government's new Five-Year plan for the drug industry. This plan calls for biopharma to become a new national pillar industry, with a target for innovative-drug industry growth of at least 20 percent a year through to 2030," said the correspondent.
Elsewhere on the markets, AI failed to perform quite as well, though it remained a focus among investors.
"AI stocks were a bit sluggish today, although they were inching higher. Chipmaker Hygon Information Technology added around 2 percent. That comes ahead of the release of a new chip tomorrow which is targeted at robotics and other so-called physical-AI applications, rather than Hygon's usual data-center clients," Pope noted.
Pharma stocks lead Monday’s rally in Chinese mainland shares
