A fund manager has explained why she believes that investments in China have performed strongly over the course of 2006.

Martha Wang, manager of the Fidelity Funds China Focus Fund, points to several positive market trends that have boosted the region's prospects during the last 12 months.

For instance, Ms Wang has highlighted the fact that there has been both strong macro-economic growth and corporate earning that have exceeded market forecasts.

In addition, she acknowledges the impact of strong appreciation by the renminbi, which has been the official Chinese currency since its launch in 1949.

Having performed well in 2005, there was speculation that the Chinese stock market may struggle in 2006, she said.

Despite this pessimism, she added: Stocks have continued to perform well.

There are several investments markets within China, including the Shanghai stock exchange and the Shenzhen stock exchange.

In addition, the Hong Kong stock exchange trades investments on a daily basis.

The performance of the largest companies on this stock exchange are measured by the Hang Seng share index.