Chinese shares shone in a week of turmoil as most Asian equity markets buckled under the strain of continued uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the proposed US rescue package.

“If the plan doesn't go through this weekend, there'll be a sell-off on Monday,” said Sean Darby, a strategist at Nomura in Hong Kong.

While Chinese shares were not immune to the wider global turmoil, they outperformed their peers over the week, with the Shanghai Composite index closing 10.5 per cent higher at 2,293.784.

Analysts said the market's first weekly rise in nine weeks was due to the Chinese authorities' forceful moves to lift investor sentiment, including making share buybacks easier and using government funds to buy up stock. Ping An, the insurer, bucked the trend yesterday, falling 9.7 per cent on fears that it may have to increase provisions for losses on its stake in Belgian-Dutch bank Fortis.