Hong Kong stocks opened the Wednesday session in negative territory, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index slipping 0.61% to 25,410.46 points. The Hang Seng Tech Index also retreated by 0.85% to 4,580.98 points, while the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 0.76% to 8,425.71 points, reflecting a cautious start across major sectors.

Buckling the broader downtrend, lithium-related counters traded firmly higher, with Tianqi Lithium Corporation (09696) jumping more than 5% to HK$38.88 per share. Ganfeng Lithium Co Ltd (01772) also advanced nearly 2% in early dealings, buoyed by robust sector sentiment. The upward momentum follows Tianqi Lithium Corporation's interim results released on Tuesday evening, which showed first-half revenue of RMB 12.242 billion, a year-on-year surge of 153.32%, and net profit attributable to shareholders of RMB 4.242 billion, skyrocketing 4,925.46% compared with the prior-year period.

In the software space, Kingsoft Corporation Ltd (03888) gained over 2% at the open, providing some support to the tech sector. However, most internet and technology heavyweights traded lower, with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (09988) dropping more than 2% and Tencent Holdings Ltd (00700) losing nearly 1% in early trading.

Overnight on Wall Street, the three major US indices closed higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.20%, the S&P 500 advancing 0.72%, and the Nasdaq Composite climbing 1.57%. Nvidia's better-than-expected earnings propelled its shares up 8.74% in after-hours trading, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index gained 2.33%. Despite this strength, the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index slipped 0.74%, with Alibaba's US-listed shares falling 2.94%. The weakness in US-listed Chinese stocks weighed on sentiment, prompting Hong Kong-listed tech counters to open lower in tandem this morning.