Chinese shares ended higher for the sixth straight session, though trading was highly volatile, while Japan's Nikkei retreated and other Asian bourses ended mixed.
In Tokyo, Nikkei 225 index fell 73.57 points, or 0.41 percent, to finish at 17,760.91 points while in Hong Kong, the blue chip Hang Seng Index rose 20.90 points, or 0.1 percent, to 20,636.39.
Decliners included Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., which fell 4.66 percent to 1,615 yen (US$13.24), and Nippon Yusen K.K., which lost 1.91 percent to 1,131 yen (US$9.27). Honda Motor Co. shed 0.71 percent to 4,220 yen (US$34.59), and KDDI Corp. fell 2.13 percent to 938,000 yen (US$7,688).
Elsewhere:
BANGKOK: Thai shares dropped 1.4 percent after moderate trade to close at the day's low of 743.42, amid worries over any escalation of pro-Thaksin protests after a special committee froze assets of Thaksin and his wife.
JAKARTA: Indonesian shares rose 1.2 percent at 2,108.58, led by gains in heavyweight Telkom.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian shares inched up 0.2 percent to 1,360.58 in moderate volume.
MANILA: Philippine shares climbed as the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. led a broad-based recovery after last week's losses. The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index gained 44.37 points, or 1.3 percent, to close at 3,571.10.
SEOUL: South Korean shares closed higher, ending a two-day correction, as the brokerage sector staged a strong rebound on expectations of future mergers and acquisitions and heavy trading in stock markets. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, ended up 13.32 points, or 0.8 percent, at 1,729.88.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's shares advanced, driven up by rumors that a rival bourse might be buying a stake in the Singapore Exhange. The Straits Times Index closed up 16.08 points, or 0.45 percent, at 3,561.54 points.
TAIPEI: Taiwanese shares rose amid strength in the important panel sector. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange gained 31.38 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 8,370.26 points on strong volume.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand shares closed higher, as investors gave a cautious show of approval to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's decision to weaken the soaring New Zealand dollar exchange rate. The NZX-50 closed up 22 points, or 0.5 percent, at 4,227.56.
SYDNEY: Australian shares closed marginally higher, helped by BHP Billiton, which rose 1.5 percent, but interest rate concerns weighed on financial stocks. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 closed up 8.4 points, or 0.1 percent, at 6,240.1.
With files from wire services
