Today's Edition
Hong Kong (AFP)
Asian markets largely rose on Friday, tracking Wall Street gains, as China said it was considering a US offer to negotiate steep tariffs.
US markets had forged higher on Thursday following strong results from tech giants Microsoft and Meta that helped offset lingering economic worries.
President Donald Trump's levies reached 145% on many Chinese products in April, while Beijing has responded with fresh 125% duties on imports from the United States.
On Friday, China's commerce ministry said it was evaluating a US offer for negotiations on tariffs, but wanted Washington to show "sincerity" and be ready to scrap levies that have roiled global markets and supply chains.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that China has reached out for talks on the tariffs, and this week said he believed there was a "very good chance we're going to make a deal".
Dozens of countries face a 90-day deadline expiring in July to strike an agreement with Washington and avoid higher, country-specific rates.
In Asia on Friday, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was up more than 1.7% at the close, while Tokyo's main Nikkei index closed up 1.04%.
Taipei gained 2.7% and Sydney closed up 1.1%, while Seoul edged up 0.1% and New Zealand was flat.
Mainland Chinese markets were closed for a holiday.
In Europe, London was up in early trading while Paris and Frankfurt both rose more than one percent in trade after public holidays.
Japan's envoy for US tariff talks said in Washington on Thursday that a second round of negotiations between the two countries had been "frank and constructive".
Japan, a key US ally and its biggest investor, is subject to the same 10% baseline tariffs imposed on most nations plus steeper levies on cars, steel and aluminium.
Traders are looking ahead on Friday to US jobs data for April for indications of the US central bank's path for interest rates.
