HONG KONG: Hong Kong stocks opened sharply higher on Wednesday morning, building on a recent rally thanks to vaccine rollouts and hopes for Joe Biden's vast US stimulus.

The Hang Seng Index climbed 1.09 percent, or 320.00 points, to 29,796.19.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index added 0.25 percent, or 9.12 points, to 3,612.61, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China's second exchange edged up 0.39 percent, or 9.42 points, to 2,427.66.