Stocks in Asia closed higher on Monday, as markets shrugged off declines seen on Wall Street after a week largely dominated by U.S.-China trade developments.
The Nikkei 225 Index regained 110.74 points, or 0.5%, to 21,678.26, after mostly directionless trade in the morning, with declines in the oil and coal subindex offset by gains in financials and retailers.
Against the yen, the U.S. dollar firmed slightly to trade at 107.12 by the end of the day.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index popped 384.64 points, or 1.3%, to 30,229.58, outperforming its regional peers as technology and financials stocks put in strong showings ahead of the market close.
In individual movers, shares of aluminum producer Rusal fell 48.3%. The Hong Kong-listed company, which is headquartered in Russia, was included in a U.S. sanctions list.
In Korea, markets gained. The technology sector closed mostly higher, but losses were seen in steelmakers and automakers. Samsung Electronics rose 1.7% and Posco ended down 1.9%
The main Australian stock index was on the rise, as all of its sub-indexes, with the exception of energy, closed in the green.
CHINA
Markets have focused on the escalation in trade-related rhetoric between the U.S. and China in recent weeks, although fears appeared to have eased during Asian trade.
In China, the CSI 300 dipped 1.93 points, or 0.1%, to 3,852.93
U.S. stocks came under pressure in the last session after President Donald Trump said he had instructed U.S. trade officials to consider $100 billion in additional tariffs on Chinese goods. In response, China's Ministry of Commerce said on Friday that it would "fight back with a major response" if the U.S. went ahead with its plan.
Trump said in a tweet on Sunday that China would remove its trade barriers as that would be the "right thing to do." Markets also awaited Chinese President Xi Jinping's Tuesday speech at the Boao Forum.
In other markets
In Korea, the Kospi recovered 14.5 points, or 0.6%, to 2,444.08
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index nicked 7.46 points, or 0.2%, to 3,449.96
In Taiwan, the Taiex Index took on 72 points, or 0.7%, to 10,893.53
In New Zealand, the NZD 50 Index gained 60.86 points, or 0.7%, to 8,454.13
In Australia, the ASX 200 Index moved higher 19.93 points to 5,788.74
