Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.45 at 6,695.70, New Zealand's NZX 50 index added 0.3% at 4,288.38, South Korea's Kospi climbed 2.2% to 1,990.99, Singapore's Straits Times advanced added 0.9% to 3,727.09, China's Shanghai Composite rose 0.6% to 5,808.71 and Taiwan's Weighted index gained 1.3% to 9,622.81.

In Sydney, shares of BHP Billiton added 1.3% and Rio Tinto climbed 1.7%, helped by higher metal prices.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar was quoted at 114.72 yen, compared with 114.74 yen in New York late Tuesday. The Australian dollar advanced 0.4% to 103.59 yen, while the British pound fell 0.1% to 235.23 yen.

Australia China South Korea