Stocks advance to three-week high

China's stocks rose to the highest in three weeks, led by energy companies and automakers, after oil prices rebounded and SAIC Motor Corp said third-quarter profit probably increased.

China Shenhua Energy Co and China Coal Energy Co, the nation's top two coal producers, gained more than 2 percent. SAIC Motor, China's largest car maker, advanced 2.6 percent. Chongqing Changan Automobile Co, the Chinese partner of Ford Motor Co and Mazda Motor Corp, rose 1.6 percent after saying it probably returned to profit in the third quarter.

"With the start of the earnings season, investors expect more companies to report results that will beat analysts' estimates," Wang Lei, who helps oversee $530 million at Lombarda China Fund Management Co in Shanghai. "You can probably expect buying opportunities this month."