Regional stocks rose on Thursday, powered by AI fervour that pushed South Korea's SK Hynix to the brink of joining the trillion-dollar club, while the spotlight was firmly on a high-stakes summit between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index opened up 448 points, or 1.7 percent, at 26,836.

The China enterprises index was 193 points, or 2.18 percent, up at 9,070 while the tech index was 164 points, or 3.23 percent, higher at 5,258.

Up north, the Shanghai Composite Index opened up 13 points, or 0.32 percent, at 4,256.

The Shenzhen Component Index was up 112 points, or 0.7 percent, at 16,202 while the ChiNext Index was up 49 points, or 1.2 percent, at 4,087.

Trump heads into a series of meetings with Xi in Beijing, aiming to secure economic wins, maintain a fragile trade truce and navigate flashpoints such as the Iran war.

Michael Strobaek, global chief investment officer at Lombard Odier, said preserving the status quo may be the most a meeting between Trump-Xi meeting can achieve.

"I think that, amid the uncertainties around the Middle East ceasefire, that may be enough for now," said Strobaek, noting expectations are low and groundwork for any major diplomatic breakthroughs appears thin.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei was up 189 points, or 0.3 percent, at 63,461 at one point before noon.

In Seoul, the Kospi was 80 points, or 1.02 percent, higher at 7,924 at one stage before midday. (Reuters/Xinhua)



Edited by Tony Sabine