TOKYO – Asian shares were mostly lower Wednesday despite data that pointed to a strong economic recovery in China, as worries lingered about the pandemic.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped 0.9% to 29,178.80. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.8% to 6,790.70. South Korea's Kospi fell nearly 0.1% to 3,066.98.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.3% to 28,497.12, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.6% to 3,436.93. A survey released Wednesday showed China’s factory activity rebounded in March from a three-month slowdown as export orders rose.
The monthly index of manufacturing issued by the China’s statistics agency and an industry group rose to 51.9 from February’s 50.6 on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 show activity expanding.