Chinese artificial intelligence stocks experienced a significant rally on March 18, 2026, following positive remarks from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang regarding the open-source AI agent OpenClaw. Huang described OpenClaw as 'definitely the next ChatGPT,' highlighting its transformative potential and widespread adoption among Chinese tech firms, including MiniMax and Knowledge Atlas Technology (Zhipu), which have launched tools built on OpenClaw [1]. MiniMax's shares soared by 22% and Zhipu's by 14% in Hong Kong, reflecting investor enthusiasm for their agentic AI offerings [1]. SenseTime, which recently integrated its AI assistant with OpenClaw, saw its shares rise by 2.43%, while UCloud Technology advanced 13% in Shanghai [1].
Zhipu recently unveiled GLM-5, an open-source large language model with enhanced coding abilities and extended agent-based task support. The company claims GLM-5's performance is close to Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.5 and surpasses Google's Gemini 3 Pro in certain benchmarks, though these claims have not been independently verified by CNBC [1]. Moody's noted that China's rapid AI adoption reinforces its position as a leading AI market, but sectoral uptake remains uneven, with large tech firms driving advanced integration and consumer/industrial companies adopting AI more selectively [1].
Meanwhile, Nvidia is preparing to sell its H200 processors to customers in China after receiving purchase orders and restarting manufacturing, according to Huang's statements at the GTC conference on March 17, 2026 [2]. This marks a shift after an extended delay caused by U.S. export restrictions, which previously forced Nvidia to develop a lower-capability H20 chip for China. The restrictions resulted in a $5.5 billion charge for Nvidia [2]. President Donald Trump later allowed Nvidia to ship the more advanced H200 chip to China, provided the U.S. receives a 25% cut of sales, but as of last month, there had been little progress [2]. Nvidia's CFO Colette Kress stated that only a 'small number of H200 products' had been approved for sale to China, with no revenue generated yet [2].
Despite these challenges, Nvidia reported a 73% revenue growth in the latest quarter, its 11th consecutive period of growth above 55%. For the current quarter, Nvidia forecasts about 77% growth, assuming no data center revenue from China in its guidance [2]. U.S. license requirements remain strict, with shipment caps, mandatory third-party testing, and a government sales cut [2]. Other Asian tech stocks also rose after Huang projected purchase orders between Blackwell and Vera Rubin to reach $1 trillion through 2027, with SK Hynix gaining nearly 9% and Samsung Electronics up 7.53% [1].
CONCLUSION
Chinese AI stocks surged on optimism around OpenClaw and Nvidia's renewed chip sales to China, signaling strong investor confidence in the sector's growth. Nvidia's manufacturing restart and robust revenue growth underscore its resilience despite ongoing export restrictions. The market reaction suggests high expectations for continued AI innovation and integration in China and broader Asia.