BANGKOK, Oct 29, (AP): Shares were mostly higher Wednesday in Asia as Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index surged more than 2% to another record. U.S. futures were mixed and oil prices were little changed. US President Donald Trump has been touring Asia and his upbeat comments on relations with major economies like Japan and China have helped fuel rallies while US stocks have pushed further into record heights. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was up 2.4% at 51,410.40.

After a charm offensive in Japan that culminated in $490 billion in investment commitments, President Donald Trump met with South Korea’s leader on Wednesday, though a trade deal with that country appeared more elusive. Still, South Korea's Kospi rose 1.2% to 4,058.37. The Shanghai Composite index was up 0.5% at 4,006.21.

It has been trading near decade highs ahead of Trump's expected meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a regional summit in South Korea. Trump and Xi have been locked in an escalating trade war, with Washington imposing high tariffs and tightened technology controls and China retaliating with curbs on rare earth shipments, one of its key sources of leverage.

The fact that a meeting is planned suggests there is room for some progress in easing tensions, experts say. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 1% to 8,926.20 after the release of higher than expected inflation data, an annual rate of 3.2%, dashed hopes for an interest rate cut anytime soon. Taiwan's Taiex gained 1.2% and India's Sensex was up 0.3%.

On Tuesday, the US stock market pushed further into record heights. The S&P 500 added 0.2% to 6,890.89. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3% to 47,706.37, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.8% to 23,827.49. All three indexes set all-time highs for a third straight day. Wall Street is waiting for a few events that could shake things up.