Asian markets rally; Shanghai soars 103pts

Asian markets have rallied smartly in morning trades.

Japan's Nikkei has surged 177 points to 18,149. Hong Kong's Hang Seng has rallied 310 points to 21,327.

China's Shanghai Composite index has soared 103 points to 4236.

The Taiwan Weighted index has advanced 123 points to 8574, and the Straits Times index has added 43 points to 3624.  The Seoul Composite index has moved up 21 points to 1793.