MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS climbed 1.5 percent after Sino-U.S. trade talks in Beijing were extended for an unscheduled third day, suggesting some progress was being made.

·         Japan’s Nikkei rose for a third day on Wednesday as signs of progress in Sino-U.S. trade talks boosted confidence, offsetting weakness in chip-related stocks which underperformed on a Goldman Sachs report which forecast a tough year ahead.

The benchmark share average rose 1.1 percent to 20,427.06, recovering its 13-week moving average of 20,228.94.

Goldman Sachs forecast a tough year for chipmakers, particularly in the first half, while Samsung Electronics Co Ltd estimated a decline in quarterly operating profit for the first time in two years.

·         China stocks closed higher on Wednesday on optimism around the United States and China moving closer to a trade deal, and Beijing encouraging consumer spending amid economic slowdown.

The blue-chip CSI300 index ended up 1.0 percent at 3,078.48, while the Shanghai Composite Index closed 0.7 percent higher at 2,544.34 points.