In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index ended 327 points, or 1.3 percent, higher at 25,008 on turnover of HK$322.89 billion.
The tech index rose 93 points, or 2 percent, to 4,834 while the China enterprises index gained 133 points, or 1.6 percent, to 8,318.
Alibaba led gains, ending 3.1 percent higher, after the company said in a its Qwen model will be integrated into Apple Intelligence across Apple’s iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro operating systems in China.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index ended down 73 points, or 1.85 percent, at 3,882.
The Shenzhen Component Index was 290 points, or 1.97 percent, lower at 14,488 while the ChiNext Index was 112 points, or 2.95 percent, down at 3,692.
The combined turnover of the Shanghai and Shenzhen indices was 2.4 trillion yuan, down from 2.59 trillion yuan.
Film and cinema, short drama and gaming sectors were among the top gainers while the semiconductor, memory chip and advanced packaging sectors were among the biggest decliners.
Chip designer Cambricon Technologies closed down 5.1 percent, with its weakness tracking losses in other Asian chipmakers, with South Korea’s SK Hynix tumbling more than 11 percent and Samsung Electronics falling nearly nine percent.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei share average closed almost 1,916 points, or 2.79 percent, to 66,835 as chip-related stocks sold off and an escalating Middle East conflict hurt risk appetite, overshadowing record earnings and a stellar outlook from TSMC. The broader Topix slid 59 points, or 1.5 percent, to 4,028.
In Seoul, the Kospi dived 463 points, or 6.37 percent, to 6,820 as the financial regulator announced a series of regulatory measures aimed at easing stock market volatility triggered by single-stock leveraged exchange trade funds and prevent investor losses.
There are growth opportunities in the mainland “in pharma and energy storage, and value in property developers, banks and Internet,” said Herald van der Linde, head of equity strategy for Asia Pacific at HSBC. “From an earnings angle, we believe 2026 should beat last year.”
President Xi Jinping is expected to outline a vision for the country’s role in global AI governance on Friday, as Huawei showcases its most advanced AI computing cluster yet in a sign of Beijing’s drive to build a domestic alternative to US technology. (Reuters & Xinhua)
