SHANGHAI, March 17 (Reuters) - China and Hong Kong stocks climbed on Tuesday, supported by financials, as investors rotated out of oil-linked counters that had benefited from Middle East tensions and refocused on fundamentals.

** China's blue-chip CSI300 Index .CSI300 rose 0.3% by the lunch break, while the Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC was roughly flat. Hong Kong benchmark Hang Seng .HSI was up 1%.

** Financial shares led gains, with onshore financials .CSI300FS up 1.6% and offshore peers .HSCIF up 1.2%. Insurance names .CSI399809 climbed 2.3%.

** Market reaction was muted after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is seeking to delay a highly anticipated trip to China by about a month because of the Middle East conflict.

** Shares in the onshore coal .CSI000820 and oil & gas .CSIH30198 sectors each fell 1.7% after oil prices retreated from recent highs, following the passage of some vessels through the critical Strait of Hormuz.

** Hong Kong shares, particularly the Hang Seng Tech Index .HSTECH, had built up sizable short positions during the recent selloff, analysts at Huatai Securities said in a note.

** With equity volatility rising globally, the risk-reward for leveraged long-short bets has deteriorated, prompting short covering over the past two weeks that helped put a floor under the market, analysts added.

** The Hang Seng Tech Index extended gains on Tuesday, up 1.2%, after hitting its lowest level in nearly a year earlier this month. Investors eye Tencent's 0700.HK annual results, due on Wednesday, to gauge its AI growth, which could influence the index.

** Shares of Bright Smart Securities 1428.HK surged 66% after Ant Group said it had received regulatory approval to acquire a controlling stake in the company.

** Jewellery group Chow Sang Sang 0116.HK rose as much as 13%, marking its largest one-day gain in seven months on the back of a robust earnings forecast.

(Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

((li.gu@tr.com))