Asian markets rally in early trades

Asian markets have rallied smartly in morning trades.

Japan's Nikkei has moved up 82 points to 18,245. Hong Kong's Hang Seng has surged 178 points to 21,761.

China's Shanghai Composite index has gained 21 points to 4290.

The Taiwan Weighted index has soared 94 points to 8667. The Straits Times index has advanced 15 points to 3644.  The Seoul Composite index, however, was down four points at 1803.