Chinese internet and gaming giant Tencent said on Wednesday that profits in the fourth quarter of 2024 surged 90 percent as the firm accelerates a push into artificial intelligence (AI).

The publication of quarterly and annual results came after weeks of robust investor confidence in Chinese technology stocks, and in AI in particular, following January's shock emergence of local startup DeepSeek on the global stage.

Shenzhen-based Tencent is the operator of China's all-purpose WeChat app and a major player in the global gaming industry.

Its net profits in the three months ending on December 31 totalled 51.3 billion yuan ($7.1 billion), up 90 percent year-on-year, according to a statement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange........

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