Mainland stocks edged lower from an 11-year high on Tuesday as investors took profits and turned their focus to a highly anticipated meeting between leaders of the world's two largest economies this week.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index dropped 58 points, or 0.2 percent, to 26,347 on turnover of HK$262.65 billion.

The China enterprises index fell one point to 8,882 while the tech index was 35 points, or 0.7 percent, down at 5,070.

Materials and energy shares rose, up 1.1 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively.

Across the border, the Shanghai Composite Index closed down 10 points, or 0.3 percent, at 4,214 on turnover of 1.47 trillion yuan.

The Shenzhen Component Index was 74 points, or 0.5 percent, down at 15,824 on turnover of 1.78 trillion yuan while the ChiNext Index rose five points, or 0.2 percent, to 3,934 on turnover of 838.29 billion yuan.

President Xi Jinping is set to host his US counterpart Donald Trump on May 14 and 15 in their first meeting since they paused a bruising trade war in October.

China and the United States should take a long-term view and allow trade to continue serving as "the ballast and propeller" of bilateral relations, while constantly opening up new areas for cooperation, state media said in an editorial on Tuesday.

Consumer staples and rare earth shares fell 1.5 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, leading declines onshore.

UBS analyst Meng Lei said a recovery in earnings growth and various liquidity support measures will continue to drive onshore shares' upward momentum.

The Shanghai Composite Index's breakthrough of a key psychological level of 4,200 points is not an endpoint but rather a step in the market's ongoing upward trajectory as it breaks through successive resistance levels, Meng said.

Onshore artificial intelligence shares rose 0.8 percent against a broad decline.

Semiconductor shares extended gains, up 0.5 percent, to a record high.

Chinese short-video platform Kuaishou Technology's stock jumped up to 11 percent on a report that the firm plans to spin off Kling AI.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei share average ended 324 points, or 0.52 percent, higher at 62,742 after choppy trade that saw the benchmark briefly enter negative territory before investors bought shares that would benefit from growth in artificial intelligence.

In Seoul, the Kospi stock benchmark pulled back sharply to end 179 points, or 2.3 percent, lower at 7,643 after hitting an all-time high of 7,999 as investors took uncertainty over the Middle East conflict as a cue to book profits and a top official proposed a "national dividend" to redistribute excess corporate profits from artificial intelligence. (Reuters & Xinhua)



Edited by Thomas McAlinden