Chinese stocks defy Western doomsayers to extend rally on Thursday

Chinese stocks soared on Thursday on the back of a series of newly-announced supportive macro policies, with the Shanghai Composite Index growing up 3.03 percent to climb above the 2,900-point mark.

Analysts express confidence over the performance of both Chinese economy and its stock market in the long term, which will continue to defy doomsayers and inject certainty to the global economy in 2024.

On Thursday, the Shenzhen Component Index inched up 2 percent to 8,856.22, and the tech-heavy ChiNext index was up by 1.45 percent to 1,720.78.

Net purchases through northbound trading, or money invested from Hong Kong into the Chinese mainland market, reached 6.29 billion yuan ($888 million), public data showed.

More than 4,800 stocks reported growth, with nearly 100 shares rising by their daily ceiling. Shares related to State-owned enterprises, finance and real estate led the rally.

Late on Wednesday, the People's Bank of China (PBC) and the National Financial Regulatory Administration said they will allow developers to use bank loans pledged against commercial properties such as offices and shopping malls to repay loans and bonds, in the latest move to expand funding support for the real estate sector.

Pan Gongsheng, governor of the PBC, said at a press conference on Wednesday that China will cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) by 50 basis points from February 5, which is expected to inject 1 trillion yuan in long-term liquidity to bolster the economy.

"We have plenty of room for monetary policy maneuvers. We will strike a balance between short-term and long-term, stabilizing growth and preventing risks, internal and external equilibriums, while strengthening countercyclical and cross-cycle policy adjustments to build a sound monetary and financial environment for economic growth," Pan said.

Following a number of policies to boost market confidence, more than 40 Chinese listed companies unveiled share buyback and purchase plans on Thursday, domestic media outlet Yicai.com reported.

Among the companies that disclosed share purchase plans, 11 companies plan to conduct stock buybacks worth tens of millions yuan. Sichuan Hebang Biotechnology Co plans to buy back shares worth 400 million yuan, according to the report.

China, US' common interests in economic, trade area far outweigh disputes: Minister of Commerce

The common interests of China and the US in the economic and trade area far outweigh their disputes, and the two sides should strengthen dialogue and communication to help enterprises solve different issues in cooperation and explore potential, said China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao.

Wang shared several concerns expressed by US companies at a press briefing on Friday, with China-US bilateral relations and the politicization of trade and economic issues topping the list.

"Some US enterprises expressed concerns over de-risking, which they said is the biggest risk. Also, they're concerned about tariff-driven rising operation costs and market entry barriers due to bilateral investment restrictions," Wang said, while also taking note of uncertainties brought by sanctions, which adds to compliance costs.

Wang said that all of those concerns are issues that should be solved by both sides, and the Chinese side is sincere in promoting a solution to those issues.

In the next step, China is willing to make full use of communication and exchange mechanisms with the US and implement the consensus reached by Chinese and US leaders in San Francisco.

The mechanisms include ministerial talks, twice-yearly meetings at the deputy ministerial level and monthly consultations at the department and bureau level, as well as the export control information exchange mechanism, according to Wang.

At the top leaders' summit in San Francisco in November, Chinese and US leaders established the "San Francisco vision" oriented toward the future, providing direction and outlining a blueprint for the healthy, stable, and sustainable development of China-US relations.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US. During those 45 years, bilateral trade has grown 200 times, and two-way investment has surpassed $260 billion. Over 70,000 US companies have invested in China to date.

"China is the world's largest developing country, while the US is the largest developed country, and the two countries are each other's important trading partners, with bilateral trade and investment growing rapidly, and industrial chains closely integrated," Wang said.

He noted that the content of China-US trade and investment has expanded from trade to all fields in the economy, making important contributions to social economic development and the improvement of people's well-being in both countries.

Last year, China's imports from the US dropped by 6.8 percent, totaling $164.16 billion, while exports to the US slumped by 13.1 percent, reaching $500.03 billion, customs data showed.