Stocks in Asia slipped on Friday as investors remained wary amid heightened tensions between the United States and China
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index lost 91.73 points, or 0.4%, to 25,927.68
Korean markets took a step back, with shares of industry heavyweight Samsung Electronics slipping 0.1%.
Oil-related stocks in South Korea were mostly negative. SK Innovation slipped 2.4% and GS Holdings declined by 1.5%.
Australia's benchmark closed higher, with the heavily weighted financial subindex gaining 1.1%
Shares of major mining stocks Down Under were mostly down: Rio Tinto fell 0.3% and BHP declined 0.7%. Fortescue, on the other hand, was higher by 0.3%
Energy shares in Australia were mixed on the day, with Woodside Petroleum rising 0.8% while Santos slipped 0.4% and Beach Energy was down by 1.6%.
The Australian dollar traded at $0.7245 after touching a high of $0.7257 earlier.
Markets in Japan were shuttered Friday for holiday. Meantime, the Japanese yen, widely seen as a safe-haven currency, was at 112.84 against the dollar, after strengthening from lows around the 113 handle yesterday.
CHINA
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 slid 70.95 points, or 2.2%, to 3,143.48
Reports in the Wall Street Journal said the U.S. government is attempting to sway companies that sell wireless and internet services in allied countries to stay away from telecommunications equipment from China's Huawei Technologies.
The Journal reported that U.S. officials have informed their government counterparts and telecom executives in allied countries where Huawei equipment is already in wide use, about what they see as cybersecurity risks.
Earlier this year, U.S. intelligence chiefs cautioned Americans from buying smartphones made by Huawei because they could be spied on by the Chinese government.
Over in China, PetroChina shares fell 1.2% while China Petroleum & Chemical, also known as Sinopec, slipped 1.2%.
In other markets
In Taiwan, the Taiex index dropped 47.41 points, or 0.5%, to 9,667.30
In Korea, the Kospi index stepped back 12.47 points, or 0.6%, at 2,057.48
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index added 11.11 points, or 0.4%, to 3,052.49
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 slid 1.78 points to 8,701.38
In Australia, the ASX 200 gained 24.93 points, or 0.4%, to 5,716.21
