Shares in Shanghai hit a fresh intraday high on Tuesday while Japan's Nikkei average advanced as bargain hunting emerged.
In Tokyo, the benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose 215.64 points, or 1.27 percent, to finish at 17,244.05 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 193.00 points, or 1 percent, to 20,002.70.
Stocks advanced as investors bought laggard stocks, including banks and oil companies. Gainers included Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc., which climbed 4.76 percent to 1.10 million yen (US$9,322) and Nippon Oil Corp., which gained 2.24 percent to 957 yen (US$8.11).
Elsewhere:
BANGKOK: Thai shares advanced 1 percent to close at 686.53 in mild trade, driven by gains in banking, property stocks.
JAKARTA: Indonesian shares rose 2.4 percent at 1,894.58 points in healthy volume, especially for commodity and bank stocks, as the bourse was lifted by buoyant sentiment on regional markets.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's key stock index gained 0.9 percent, buoyed by continued buying interest from local government-linked funds. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index of 100 blue chips rose to 1,256.82 points.
MANILA: Philippine shares rose for the third session, inspired by gains on Wall Street and a record low rate for benchmark treasury bill yields. The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index advanced 18.40 points, or 0.6 percent, at 3,248.00, adding to Monday's 0.8 percent gain.
SEOUL: South Korean shares closed higher, helped by a rebound in chipmakers and retail stocks, but companies in sectors likely to be hurt by the free trade agreement with the U.S. weighed on the market. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, ended up 4.22 points, or 0.3 percent, at 1,463.75.
SHANGHAI: China's shares closed at a record high for a second straight day, pushed up by higher corporate profits and buying by securities funds. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.2 percent to 3291.30, while the Shenzhen Composite Index for China's smaller second market rose 1.3 percent to 855.75.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's shares rose for the fourth straight session amid increasing confidence in the stock market, with banking and property stocks leading the gains. The benchmark Straits Times Index gained 42.05 points, or 1.3 percent, to close at 3,288.36.
TAIPEI: Taiwan's shares rose slightly, led by financial sector's gain on a report of a possible bank merger. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange rose 47.92 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 7932.91 points.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand stocks rose solidly for a second straight session, although brokers said there were no obvious drivers of the recent rally, which comes amid continued uncertainty in offshore markets. The benchmark NZX-50 was up 37 points, or 0.9 percent, at 4,175.29.
SYDNEY: Australian stocks jumped to a five-week high in a show of growing confidence in the market. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index rose 97.6 points, or 1.65 percent, to 6,013.4, while the All Ordinaries rose 89.4 points to 5,997.6.
With files from wire services
