Asian stock markets were mostly higher Wednesday as traders watched for signs trade might be disrupted by U.S.-Chinese tensions over an American lawmaker's visit to Taiwan.
Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul advanced after Beijing announced a ban on imports of some Taiwanese goods but no immediate major penalties following the arrival of Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the U.S. House of Representatives. The mainland's ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as part of its territory and rejects foreign official contact with the self-ruled island democracy.
