05:44 AM EST, 01/14/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets tracked largely higher Wednesday after a solid international trade report from Beijing, and as global investors sought safe haven from geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

Hong Kong and Tokyo finished in the green, as did most other regional exchanges, while Shanghai and Mumbai lagged. Fresh all-time zeniths were set on equity indices in Tokyo, Seoul and Taiwan.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher and rose to the close, finishing up 1.5% as traders weighed prospects for greater fiscal expansionism if "snap" elections are held soon, as likely to be scheduled by Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

A softer yen again boosted export shares.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 792.07 to 54,341.23, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 181 to 41.

Leading the upside was electronic components maker Taiyo Yuden, up 6.9%, while ad-PR agency Dentsu declined 11.3% on media reports that plans to sell international operations are faltering.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened higher, wobbled, but closed up 0.6% as traders weighed a China report on exports and imports.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 151.34 to 26,999.81, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 48 to 35. The Hang Seng TECH Index gained 0.7% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index was steady.

Leading the upside was Alibaba Health Information Technology, gaining 19% on brokerage reports that the company is well-positioned to benefit from AI, while Trip.com declined 6.5%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.3% to 4,126.09.

In economic news, China exports rose by 6.6% on-year in December to a record monthly peak of $357.8 billion, lifted by shipments to non-US countries, reported the General Administration of Customs. The nation's imports in December increased by 5.7% on year to $243.6 billion, resulting in a monthly trade surplus of $114.2 billion.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 0.7%; the Taiwan TWSE gained 0.8%; the Australian ASX 200 was up 0.1%; the Singapore Straits Times Index added 0.1%, and the Thai Set rose 0.7%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 0.3%.

In other news, India's wholesale price index (WPI) rose 0.83% on year in December, after declining by 0.32% in November, reported the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI).

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