Asia-Pacific stocks mixed as investors assess China data

Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Friday as investors parsed China's exports-imports data for April, with focus also on impending trade talks between Beijing and Washington.

China's exports surged as shipments to Southeast Asian countries soared, offsetting a sharp drop in outbound goods to the US as prohibitive tariffs kicked in.

Exports climbed 8.1% in US dollar terms in April compared to the same month last year, official data showed, significantly outperforming the 1.9% increase forecast in a Reuters poll. Shipments to the US plunged over 21%.

China stocks, however, did not get a boost from the strong data as tariff worries weigh on investor sentiment. Mainland China's CSI 300 fell 0.17% to close at 3,846.16, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index added 0.4% to close at 22,867.74.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 1.56% to close at 37,503.33 and the Topix gained 1.29% to end the trading day at 2,733.49. South Korea's Kospi slid 0.09% to close at 2,577.27 and the small-cap Kosdaq slipped 0.97% to close at 722.52.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.48% to close at 8,231.2.

India's Nifty 50 fell nearly 1% as tensions between India and Pakistan escalate.

Overnight, Wall Street gained following US President Donald Trump announced the broad outline of a trade deal with the UK- the first since the US paused sweeping "reciprocal" tariffs in April.