06:41 AM EDT, 03/18/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets rallied broadly on Tuesday due to foreign exchange movements and after media reports of a pending meeting between China President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump.

Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo finished in the green, as did most other regional exchanges.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher and held ground, finishing up 1.2% as a softer yen boosted export issues.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 448.90 to 37,845.42, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 190 to 35.

Insurer Tokio Marine led the upside, up 5.5%, while heavy equipment maker IHI declined 5.5%.

In economic news, Japan's index of services industries activity rose 1.5% on the year in January, but eased a seasonally adjusted 0.3% from December, reported the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

In other news, the Bank of Japan is likely to keep interest rates unchanged due to evolving Trump Administration trade policies, reported The Mainichi newspaper. Its two-day policy meeting began Tuesday.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened higher and gained ground, finishing up 2.5% after media reports that Trump will receive a visit from Xi Jinping, possibly as early as April, potentially defusing trade tensions.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 595.00 to 24,740.57 as gaining issues outnumbered losers 72 to eight. The Hang Seng TECH Index gained 4% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index rose 1.7%.

Search engine colossus Baidu led the upside, gaining 12.2%, while CK Infrastructure declined 2.9%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.1% to 3,429.76.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 0.1%; the Taiwan TWSE inclined 0.7%; the Australian ASX 200 advanced 0.1%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.9%, and the Thai Set inclined 0.5%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was up 1.5%.