In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index opened up 81 points, or 0.3 percent, at 26,442.
The China enterprises index grew 37 points, or 0.4 percent, to 8,936 while the tech index was 26 points, or 0.5 percent, up at 5,092.
Across the border, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index opened down 0.15 percent at 4,075.
The Shenzhen Component Index opened 0.31 percent lower at 14,920 while the ChiNext Index, tracking China’s Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, was down 0.42 percent to open at 3,662.
In Tokyo, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average opened up 206 points, or 0.35 percent, at 59,031. The benchmark was up 639 points, or 1.09 percent, to 59,464 at one point before midday.
In Seoul, the Kospi opened up 83 points, or 1.34 percent at 6,302. Its gains accelerated to 110 points, or 1.78 percent, putting the benchmark at 6,329 at one point before midday.
The mixed market openings came as an uneasy ceasefire between the United States and Iran frayed after Washington announced the seizure of an Iranian cargo ship, drawing vows of retaliation from Tehran.
Iran said over the weekend it would skip a second round of negotiations, though a senior official later said the country may yet send delegates to talks expected in Islamabad.
Adding to the uncertainty, US Vice President JD Vance remained in country on Monday, another source said, denying reports he was already on his way to Pakistan for talks.
The renewed tensions had reignited a surge in oil prices overnight as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained largely paralysed.
“While potential talks in Islamabad remain likely, rhetoric from Washington and Tehran continued to point to fragile and strained negotiations,” analysts from Westpac wrote in a research report.
The confirmation hearing of Kevin Warsh, who was nominated by US President Donald Trump to be head of the Federal Reserve, is scheduled to begin at 10am EDT, or 10pm Hong Kong time, on Tuesday, with his independence from the White House expected to be a key focus.
Warsh will say he is “committed to ensuring that the conduct of monetary policy remains strictly independent,” according to his prepared remarks, while economists say his attitudes towards the central bank’s quantitative easing programme will also be critical.
“In the past, Warsh was a vocal critic of the Fed’s ‘bloated’ balance sheet, as he called it, and argued that it creates a distortionary impact on asset prices,” said Bansi Madhavani, senior economist at ANZ in London.
“His preference for a smaller balance sheet is quite clear, but any guidance around what he thinks will be the optimal size, we think that will be relevant,” she said on a podcast. (Reuters & Xinhua)
