China, Hong Kong shares rebound on hopes Middle East conflict eases

SHANGHAI, March 10 (Reuters) - China and Hong Kong stocks rose on Tuesday, rebounding from the lowest levels since December and August, respectively, as investors grew optimistic that the Middle East conflict could end soon following comments from U.S. President Donald Trump.

China's blue-chip CSI300 Index .CSI300 climbed 1.1% by the lunch break, while the Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC gained 0.4%. Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index .HSI was up 1.6%.

China's export growth quickened in the January-February period, according to customs data, keeping the world's second-largest economy on track to top its record $1.2 trillion trade surplus over the course of 2026.

Risk sentiment rebounded across Asia after Trump predicted a quick end to the Middle East war, with oil prices retreating from recent highs.

Energy shares lagged: onshore energy .CSIEN fell 3.6%, Hong Kong energy .HSCIE slipped 1.3%, and the CSI Coal Index .CSI000820 dropped 2.5%. China on Monday raised regulated retail gasoline and diesel ceiling prices by the most since March 2022, tracking a surge in global oil on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Tech majors listed in Hong Kong .HSTECH climbed 1.4%, with Tencent 0700.HK up nearly 6%. Onshore artificial intelligence stocks .CSI930713 rose 1.2%.

Analysts at Shenzhen Oriental Harbor Investment Management said they did not expect the Iran conflict to hit the global economy as hard as in 2022, when Russia's war in Ukraine pitted NATO against Moscow and pandemic-era supply disruptions drove broad-based surges in commodities and traded goods, fuelling global inflation, Federal Reserve rate hikes and steep U.S. equity losses.