The 33-year-old Swedish golfer shot a brilliant seven-under 65 in the second round of the China Open on Friday, giving him a three-stroke lead on 16 under par overall.
Paul Waring of England was alone in second place after a 65, with Guido Migliozzo (67) in third, one shot further back.
Jason Scrivener was the only Australian to make the cut at Hidden Grace golf club in Shenzhen, adding a second successive 70 to sit at four under in joint-42nd position.
His compatriot George Worrall had the joint second-best round of the day, a bogey-free 65, but it was not enough to offset his calamitous opening-day 81 as he failed to make the weekend action.
The world No.98 Soderberg has been runner-up in the last two events — the Indian Open and the ISPS Handa Championship. They are among his five top-10 finishes in his nine tournaments so far in 2024.
"I feel pretty confident with my game at the moment but obviously the pressure will be a lot higher with me at the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend," Soderberg said.
"I really need to keep my emotions in check and hopefully I can get over the line."
The four-tournament "Asian Swing" concludes after the China Open, which is back on the European rota for the first time in five years, and the best performer in those events will be among those gaining a spot in the US PGA Championship this month. Soderberg leads those rankings at the moment.
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