China
Chinese markets closed down Wednesday with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.95 percent, or 27.32 points, to end at 2,848.55.
The Shenzhen Component Index closed down 0.33 percent, or 41.58 points, to end at 12,615.41.
Hong Kong stocks closed down 335.63 points, or 1.43 percent, at 23,092.52 on Wednesday.
Japan
Japanese stocks closed up Wednesday as a weak yen against the dollar boosted exporter shares.
After rising to a seven-month intraday high of 10,258.90, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended at 10,232.33, up 91.23 points or 0.90 percent.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose 8.29 points, or 0.94 percent, to 887.39.
Australia
Australian stocks closed down 0.6 percent on Wednesday, hit by a drop in the banks on worries about funding costs and retailers on jitters about tepid Christmas spending.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index lost 26.9 points to close at 4,699.9 while the broader All Ordinaries Index fell 0.5 per cent, to close at 4809 points.
