China rises, on promises to spur growth
Shanghai and Hong Kong stocks extended winning streaks on Monday, following a pledge by Chinese premier Li Keqiang that the government will step up efforts to bolster economic growth.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index retreated from its recent highs, dropping 8.19 points, or 0.04%, to 19,246.06
The yen strengthened slightly against the U.S. dollar to ¥121.27, compared with ¥121.39 in the prior session.
The Hang Seng Index progressed 126.34 points, or 0.5%, to 23,949.55
CHINA
The Shanghai CSI 300 leaped 88.01 points, or 2.4%, to 3,705.67
Over the weekend, Premier Li Keqiang said at a press conference in Beijing that China would strive to keep economic growth within a "reasonable range" and would step up efforts if the slowdown affects employment and incomes. He also added that there were still "comparatively many" policy tools for China to use to stimulate the economy.
In other markets
The Taiex index in Taiwan slid 66.44 points, or 0.7%, to 9,512.91
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index regained 13.27 points, or 0.4%, to 3,376.04
The Kospi index in Korea nicked ahead 1.54 points, or 0.1%, to 1,987.33
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 gained 2.81 points, or 0.1%, to 5,911.40
The S&P/ASX index lost 16.89 points, or 0.3%, to 5,797.66
