Hong Kong shares closed higher: HSI rose 0.48% and the Hang Seng Tech Index rose 0.96%; Alibaba (09988.HK) gained 7.01% on the day.

Taiwan Stock Exchange Weighted Index (TAIEX) opened down 14.46 points, or 0.03%, at 43,105.29 on Monday, Aug 3.

China A-shares fell at midday: Shanghai Composite -0.59%, Shenzhen Component -0.45%, ChiNext -0.44%. Power-grid equipment led gains, with Jiusheng Electric, Baili Electric and Changlan Technology hitting daily limits; Yikun Electric and Xinte Electric also advanced. Controllable nuclear fusion names were active — China Nuclear Construction, Heduan Intelligent and Zhongyan Dadi hit limits; Hahan Huatong and Changfu Co. outperformed. PV equipment continued to rally, with Guosheng Technology and Fulait hitting daily limits and Daqian Energy, International Industry and Yubang New Materials up. The semiconductor sector extended losses, though Longchuan Technology, Xinyuan Micro and Tuojing Technology were among the better performers within the group. Electronic chemicals underperformed, led lower by Sanfu Xinke, Honghe Technology and Xingfu Electronics.