(Yicai Global) Sept. 28 -- China’s stock markets all opened higher this morning as the biotechnology, airport, coal and photovoltaic sectors led the gains. The country’s largest chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation slumped because of reports of a pending US export ban.

The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.17 percent to 3,224.98, the Shenzhen Component Index opened up 0.36 percent at 12,860.09 and the ChiNext, which tracks growth enterprises listed in Shenzhen, opened 0.45 percent higher at 2,551.78. The Hengseng Index on the Hong Kong market also opened 0.21 percent higher at 23284.09.

SMIC [SHA:688981] started off down 4 percent on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s Nasdaq-style Star Market, and slumped 7.6 percent in Hong Kong [HKG: 0981]. The US government is imposing an export ban on the firm, media reported yesterday, but SMIC said today it had received no such official notification to that effect.

Editor: Ben Armour