Asian stock markets fluctuated on Thursday after a high-stakes meeting between US and Chinese leaders that resulted in an agreement to alleviate frictions between the world’s two largest economies.

US President Donald Trump described his meeting in South Korea with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping — their first since 2019, during Trump’s first term — as “amazing”.

Xi said they had reached “consensus” on economic and trade issues, according to Beijing’s state media.

Stock market reactions were subdued, with Japan’s main benchmark closing flat following a widely expected central bank decision to hold interest rates steady.

Shanghai and Sydney closed with moderate drops, while Hong Kong was also down in the final hour of trading.

Seoul finished slightly up, helped partly by tech giant Sams

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