Hong Kong stocks opened the session lower, with the Hang Seng Index dropping 1.29%, or 325 points, to 24,949 points by midday. The Hang Seng Tech Index fell 2.07%, while total morning turnover reached HK$105.9 billion. Despite the broad market weakness, robotics-related names staged a strong rally against the trend.

Shares of Xian Gong Intelligent (06106) surged 23%, as the company's fundamentals are accelerating their realization, with the "first stock of the robot brain" poised for a valuation rerating. Mech-Mind Robotics (09615) climbed 9.8%, underpinned by its deep focus on the AI-powered 3D vision-guided general-purpose intelligent robot component market. Zhida Technology (02650) advanced over 22% after its German factory was officially launched, accelerating its global expansion. Yunji (02670) gained more than 14% as its composite multi-state robot UP has officially entered multiple top-tier hospitals.

Oil and gas stocks traded mostly higher as international crude prices returned to the US$100-per-barrel level, with geopolitical volatility adding a阶段性 risk premium. China Oilfield Services (02883) rose 4.3%, Dalipal Holdings (01921) added 1.9%, and Sinopec Oilfield Service (01033) was up 1.4%.

Lingyi iTech (01688) climbed more than 6% after being identified as a supplier for Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo. Longsys (09976) advanced over 3% after reporting first-half net profit exceeding HK$10 billion, with the company remaining a leading domestic storage module maker. HiLight Semiconductor (01191) bucked the trend with a gain of over 9%, extending its cumulative advance past 50% since being added to Stock Connect, as its optical module orders are already fully booked through the end of 2027. Kingboard Laminates (01888) rose more than 2% amid accelerating price hikes from electronic yarn to copper clad laminates, with first-half net profit surging over twofold year-on-year.

Pork-related stocks led the declines, as although national pork prices have risen for four consecutive weeks, persistently high supply continues to cap upside elasticity. Muyuan Foods (02714) fell more than 4%, WH Group (00288) dropped 2.5%, and COFCO Joycome (01610) declined 2.4%.

Lithium stocks were broadly lower in morning trading. JPMorgan flagged short-term downside pressure on lithium prices, citing the possibility that the resumption of operations at the Jianxiawo lithium mine could take longer than previously expected. Ganfeng Lithium (01772) slipped over 2%, while Tianqi Lithium (09696) fell 3.2%.

Haidilao (06862) continued its slide, down more than 3%, after the founder's wife sold shares at a discount, cashing out over HK$2.7 billion. The company responded that the transaction does not affect its business operations.