Asian stock markets were mixed Wednesday after US indexes took small losses as Washington and North Korea indicated their willingness to reduce nuclear tensions.
The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.4 per cent to 3,239.30 points and Tokyo's Nikkei 225 was unchanged at 19,753.70. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.5 per cent to 27,309.20.
Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 shed 0.2 per cent to 5,745.20. Seoul's Kospi advanced 0.6 per cent and benchmarks in New Zealand, Malaysia and Jakarta also rose. Taiwan, Singapore and Manila retreated.
US indexes took small losses on Tuesday. The S&P 500 index lost less than 0.1 per cent to 2,464.61. The Dow Jones industrial average picked up 5.28 points to 21,998.99.
The Nasdaq composite fell 0.1 per cent to 6,333.01, according to AP.
Benchmark US crude rose 19 cents to $47.74 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract lost 4 cents on Tuesday to close at $47.55.
Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 24 cents to $51.04 in London. It added 7 cents on Tuesday to close at $50.80.
The edged up to 110.67 yen from Tuesday's 110.66 yen. The euro was little-changed at $1.1737.