Asian shares were mostly higher Monday, with Hong Kong shares surging after President Donald Trump said he wanted to help a sanctioned Chinese tech giant, signaling a possible improvement in U.S.-China relations. Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.4 percent to 31,559.37 and the Shanghai Composite in mainland China added 0.4 percent to 3,175.56. Taiwan shares rose but Southeast Asian indexes were lower, including Malaysian shares, which resumed trading after last week's election. TRUMP ON CHINA: In a surprise overture to Beijing, Trump tweeted that he wanted to help Chinese smartphone and telecom gear maker ZTE "get back into business, fast." The news helped other Chinese tech-related shares in Hong Kong like internet company Tencent and computer maker Lenovo.

Source: ABC News May 14, 2018 03:11 UTC