** China's blue-chip CSI300 Index climbed 0.4% by the lunch break, while the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.2%.
** Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng was up 0.3%, while
China Enterprises Index slid 0.1%.
** The Swiss government-backed UBS-Credit Suisse deal has
helped ease some banking contagion fears, although the complete
write-off of the troubled bank's additional tier 1 bonds has
caused selloff in similar debt.
** Hong Kong's leader John Lee said on Tuesday that he's
confident the Credit Suisse situation wouldn't affect the city
in a significant way, adding that Hong Kong's banking sector is
"very resilient".
** Hong Kong-listed financial shares recouped some losses
from the previous session, with HSBC Holdings trading
2% higher.
** China stocks, largely immune from the U.S. and European
banking crisis due to strict capital controls and the country's
relatively sound banking system, are aided by fresh signs of
economic recovery.
** China's General Administration of Customs said on Monday
that the utilisation rate of containers for exports has kept
climbing since the second half of February, pointing to a pickup
in exports.
** China's defense stocks jumped 2% amid
lingering geopolitical tensions.
** Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia was
denounced by Washington, while the United States, China and
Russia argued during a United Nations Security Council meeting
on Monday over North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons
program.
** Tech stocks traded in Hong Kong rose 0.3%, with
Bilibili Inc jumping as much as 9.2% to a four-week
high after China's online gaming regulator on Monday granted
licences to 27 foreign games in March, signaling further policy
easing.
(Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)