** The blue-chip CSI 300 Index and the Shanghai Composite Index both closed up 0.6%.
** The Hang Seng Index rose 0.5%, and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index climbed 0.6%.
** For the week, the CSI 300 slipped 0.8%, while the Hang Seng Index was up 0.5%.
** Other Asian shares firmed, as Singapore became the latest country to pause its monetary policy tightening and markets became more confident the likely next hike in U.S. rates would be the last this cycle.
** China's economy is likely to grow around 5% this year, People's Bank of China Governor Yi Gang said in remarks published on Friday, in line with the government's annual target.
** This week, "sentiment improved further given sustained macro recovery in response to accommodative policy, as well as rising momentum around thematic trades such as AI (artificial intelligence)," Morgan Stanley said in a note.
** Some AI-theme stocks rebounded from previous session's weakness. Information technology
shares climbed 1.6%, while semiconductors surged 4.8% on Friday.
** Premier Li Qiang said China needs to accelerate research and development for core
technologies including chips, state media quoted him as saying on Thursday, which also propped
market sentiment.
** Tech giants listed in Hong Kong were little changed, with search engine giant
Baidu slumping 3.1% and food delivery firm Meituan dropping 1.1%.
(Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Shailesh Kuber)
