(Yicai Global) Jan. 6 -- Stock markets on the Chinese mainland shook off a rocky start this morning to set new recent highs.

The  Shanghai Composite Index was up 0.59 percent at 3,101.98 going into the lunch break, breaking 3,100 for the first time in nine months. The Shenzhen component index closed 1.24 percent higher at 10,788.72, its highest in 20 months, while the ChiNext Price Index, which tracks growth enterprises listed in Shenzhen,  shot up 1.97 percent to finish at 1,872.16, also a 20 month high.

Stock markets opened lower this morning after a US drone strike killed Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani on Jan. 3, but expectations of more market-friendly government policies put investors' jitters at ease.