Hong Kong shares bucked the trend, with the Hang Seng Index overcoming early losses to close 111 points or 0.45 percent higher at 24,917.
Mainland stocks finished in the red, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.07 percent to 3,885 and the Shenzhen Component Index losing 0.64 percent at 13,384.
The Nikkei in Japan slid 0.81 percent to close at 63,492, dragged down by technology shares, while the South Korean Kospi lost 225 points or more than three percent at 6,684.
AI-linked shares took an added hit after the leaders of OpenAI and Anthropic called for a slowdown in development to manage risks and protect humanity.
Both main crude contracts – already sitting above US$100 a barrel – jumped more than three percent at one point on Monday after Saudi Arabia shut its East-West pipeline following drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, while a merchant vessel was struck in the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Oman said it had postponed talks between Iran and Gulf states on the future of the strategic waterway, a vital route for a large share of the world’s seaborne oil trade. (Agencies)
