HONG KONG (Nikkei Markets) -- Asian stocks outside of Japan advanced on Thursday to trim losses during a month that was marked by trade tensions between the U.S. and China, uncertainty over North Korea's denuclearization and political turmoil in Italy.
The Nikkei Asia300 Index added 0.8% to 1,383.87 on Thursday, narrowing its monthly loss to 2.8%. Investors this month have been watching developments between the U.S. and China as their delegations met in Beijing and Washington to resolve contentious trade matters. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration said this week it will impose import tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods. Sentiment was also weighed by uncertainty over a proposed meeting Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that could result in the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.