China is entering the year with a sense of renewal, fueling a rally in stocks despite lingering economic weakness. This shift comes nearly a year after DeepSeek rattled global markets by challenging US dominance with the launch of its open-source DeepSeek-R1, a highly capable AI model.
Since then, reports from credible sources show that Chinese tech shares have opened the year strongly, buoyed by fresh breakthroughs across sectors such as commercial rockets, robotics, and flying cars.
As a result, a Nasdaq-style index tracking Chinese technology stocks has climbed nearly 13% in January 2026, while a gauge of Hong Kong-listed Chinese tech firms has risen close to 6%. Both benchmarks have outperformed the Nasdaq 100 over the same period.
China’s Growth Outlook Remains Resilient
Since April last year, analysts have noticed that China’s stock market has been on an upward trend, mainly due to enthusiasm for local technology, despite the Asian nation’s difficulties managing low consumer spending and a housing crisis.
With this finding, sources noted that individuals have placed bets on prediction markets anticipating sustained upward momentum in the coming months, driven by the introduction of a new, highly capable AI model from DeepSeek and China’s economic plan set to focus on technological independence over the next five years.
On Friday, January 16, Mark Mobius, a managing director of Mobius Emerging Opportunities Fund, released a statement noting that “The stock market indicates that what China is doing in the technology sector will be very exciting in the future,” adding that, “We must remember that China’s goal now is to surpass the US in technology, high-level chips, and various types of AI. So investments are flowing in that direction.”
Meanwhile, since DeepSeek shook up the market worldwide with its cheap, cutting-edge AI models on January 27, 2025, the tech company has motivated other Chinese-based firms to accelerate their efforts and develop their own model versions.
This situation demonstrates a growing trend in the tech industry, with companies, mostly leading Chinese internet firms such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd., increasingly interested in generative AI.
The Tech Industry Faces Stiff Competition Amid the AI Boom Era
Just as with generative AI, Chinese-based firms have also shown heightened interest in creating robots, sparking stiff competition in the sector. These Chinese robots have participated in marathons, engaged in boxing matches, and performed folk dances, proving their power.
On the other hand, the manufacturing sector is integrating high-end language models into advanced equipment such as precision machinery and flying taxis.
With these advancements in the tech sector, investors have adopted a new perspective towards China, transforming it from an earlier view as just a cost-effective manufacturing base into a serious rival to major US tech firms. This change in perspective comes at a time when global investors are seeking new opportunities to expand.
In the meantime, data from Jefferies Financial Group Inc., dated January 13, showed that a team of 33 Chinese AI stocks saw their combined market value surge by around $732 billion in 2025. With these results, Jefferies anticipated that China could still do better, as its market value in the AI industry is just 6.5% of the United States.