Asian stock markets settled higher on Wednesday although their session was overshadowed by concerns about what will transpire when US President Donald Trump meets his Chinese opposite number Xi Jinping in Florida on Thursday. No one yet knows what if anything their meeting will mean for the global trade on which so many regional economies depend.
Japan's benchmark index, Nikkei 225 rose 51.02 points or 0.27 percent to settle at 18,861.27. China's benchmark index, Shanghai Composite gained 47.79 points or 1.48 percent to close at 3,270.31.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 139.32 points or 0.57 percent to end at 24,400.80. Taiwan's TAIEX rose 137.96 points or 1.41 percent to end at 9,949.48.
On the other hand, Singapore's Straits Times declined 2.51 points or 0.08 percent to end at 3,176.55. South Korea's KOSPI declined 0.25 points or 0.01 percent to end at 2,160.85.
