Asia opens mixed but mostly higher

Asian stock indices opened the last session of the week mixed with China, Australia, and South Korea higher, while Japan and New Zealand lost ground, with China expected to cut tariffs on US commodities worth $75 billion by nearly half. 

China's President Xi Jinping expressed his belief this week that China would win its battle with the coronavirus and will achieve all of its economic and social targets and become "more prosperous after winning", pointing to positive results in containment.

Japan's TOPEX shed 0.62%, while Nikkei 225 fell 0.52% to 23,704. 

China's CSI 300 rose 0.54%, while Shanghai climbed 0.32% to 2,915. 

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.52%, while South Korea's KOSPI increased 0.63% to 2,247. 

New Zealand's NZX 50 slipped 0.17% as Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.40% to 7,131.