Asian stocks higher ahead of US-China tariff war talks

Asian stock markets rose Thursday following a listless day on Wall Street ahead of U.S.-Chinese negotiations aimed at ending a tariffs battle. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index gained 0.4 percent to 21,528.25 after a gauge of manufacturing activity fell to a three-year low, suggesting Japanese economic growth is slowing. The Shanghai Composite Index advanced 0.4 percent to 2,771.28. Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 added 0.6 percent to 6,136.10 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.5 percent to 28,664.11. Benchmarks in New Zealand, Taiwan and Southeast Asia also advanced. India's Sensex shed 0.1 percent to 35,721.75.