Chinese equities reversed from early gains to close lower on August 13 after an initial technology- and chip-led advance tied to AI optimism and focus on Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. gave way to a broader selloff. In afternoon trading, the Shanghai Composite and Shenzhen Component slipped into negative territory, while the ChiNext Index, a board focused on growth companies, pared gains to 0.58% before the market later finished lower. Pharmaceuticals and select thematic plays outperformed, but market breadth was weak, with more than 4,300 stocks declining. Combined turnover on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges rose to 2.55 trillion yuan, up 398.5 billion yuan from the previous session.