Every investing site runs a "best China ETF" ranking. Most of them are really a performance chart wearing a shopping list. Here is the same 1-year leaderboard, plus the part nobody prints next to it: what each fund owns, how big it is, and how fast the ranking changes.
Return figures: as of September 1, 2026, source NerdWallet's China ETF ranking (data via Finviz). Prices are a delayed Nasdaq snapshot refreshed weekly.
One-year total return, highest first. Click a ticker to see how it behaves inside our comparator.
| Ticker | Fund | 1Y return | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|---|
| KSTR | KraneShares China Technology & Semiconductor STAR 50 Index ETF | +27.62% | Passive, very narrow: onshore Shanghai STAR 50 semiconductor and tech names |
| NBCE | Neuberger Berman China Equity ETF | +26.79% | Actively managed, concentrated — higher conviction, higher fee |
| CNXT | VanEck ChiNext Innovators ETF | +23.68% | Passive, onshore growth: ChiNext (Shenzhen)innovation names |
| MCHS | Matthews China Innovators Active ETF | +22.79% | Actively managed growth tilt, small fund |
| ASHS | Xtrackers Harvest CSI 500 China A-Shares Small Cap ETF | +19.19% | Passive onshore small/mid caps via QFII — the purest A-share small-cap vehicle |
| KCAI | KraneShares China Alpha Index ETF | +19.16% | Index-plus strategy onshore A-shares |
| KBA | KraneShares Bosera MSCI China A 50 Connect Index ETF | +13.67% | Passive onshore large-cap A-shares through Stock Connect |
| Ticker | Fund | Vehicle | Why it's on this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCHI | iShares MSCI China ETF | Passive, broad | ~575 holdings, offshore + A-shares, the default core position |
| KWEB | KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF | Thematic, passive | Concentrated internet platforms, ~40 names, satellite use |
| FXI | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | Passive, HK large caps | Heavy banks and financials, the value-leaning version |
| ASHR | Xtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF | Passive onshore | Pure mainland A-shares, no offshore/dual-class overlay |
The same September ranking published one month earlier showed KSTR at +57.71% and CNXT at +53.59%, with NBCE at +34.94% and KCAI at +33.79%. Nothing about the underlying assets changed except the price of entering them. A fund that has run 50% in twelve months is not "proven" — it is simply expensive, and the next twelve months are set by what happens from here, not by what just happened.
KSTR and CNXT buy onshore Chinese growth (Shanghai STAR 50, Shenzhen ChiNext) through QFII-style vehicles. MCHI, FXI and KWEB buy a mix of Hong Kong listings and US ADRs. ASHR buys mainland A-shares. These are different markets with different liquidity, different settlement and different price drivers. Ranking them in one table is a comparison of risk appetite as much as of returns.
NBCE and MCHS are actively managed, so the fee is a real decision rather than a rounding error. They are also the smallest funds on this list, which means wider spreads and, occasionally, wider premiums or discounts to fair value. If you buy an active China fund, size the position so you can exit without moving the price.
Every number above is before the expense ratio, before FX, and before your broker's commission and spread. For a US investor in a US-listed fund, currency is largely a non-issue; for a European or UK investor holding a USD fund, EUR/USD alone can add or subtract several percent a year. That drag quietly eats the difference between the top row and the middle.