Chinese technology giant Tencent Holdings saw net profits soar 30pc in its third quarter after posting strong returns on investments, although its gaming operations continued to face pressure from the government.

Total revenue for the three months to September totalled $11.7bn (£9bn), with net income coming in at $3.4bn, marking a 30pc boost over the same quarter the previous year. Analysts had been estimating that profit would come in at $2.7bn.

Much of the increase came from a one-time gain in Tencent’s investment in Meituan Dianping, an online food delivery platform which floated on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in September.

Tencent owns Fortnite developer Epic Games and also operates social media and payments app WeChat, which boasts more than 1bn monthly active users.

A 61pc year-on-year growth in social and advertising revenues was driven by Weixin Moments, a WeChat feature where users can post images and text to be seen by friends, and QQ KanDian, an instant messaging service popular with China’s millennials.