China Shares Post Sharpest Daily Fall in a Month as Summit Caution Builds

Hong Kong, 24 September 2026 – Chinese equities fell sharply on Thursday as investors approached the Washington meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping with limited expectations of a broad reset in trade and technology relations. The blue-chip CSI 300 Index closed 1.7% lower, while the Shanghai Composite lost 1.2%. Both posted their steepest single-day declines in a month. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index eased 0.3%, underscoring a more measured retreat across the border.

The losses came even after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington and Beijing had agreed to extend their trade truce by two months. That extension reduces the immediate risk of a renewed tariff confrontation, but it is narrower than the one-year rollover some investors had anticipated. A temporary pause also leaves unresolved questions about export controls, market access and the durability of bilateral commercial ties.