Major stock markets in Asia-Pacific traded lower on Thursday ahead of the visit of US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to Beijing. As per a previous statement, the official expects to discuss various macroeconomic and financial topics and how the US and China can "responsibly manage" their relationship.
During the trading session, Australia posted the latest data on the trade balance. According to the country's Bureau of Statistics, the trade surplus amounted to A$11.79 billion (~$7.6 billion) in May compared with April.
At 3:56 am CET, Japan's Nikkei 225 decreased by 1.07%, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.05%. South Korea's Kospi decreased by 0.18% a minute later.
In mainland China, the Shenzhen Composite fell 0.20% at 3:43 am CET, while the Shanghai Composite was flat at 3:58 am CET. On the other hand, Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.84% at 3:59 am CET.
The dollar went down by 0.16% compared to the Japanese yen at 4:00 am CET, trading for ¥144.4240.
