Hong Kong Financial Markets | Associated press

Asian stocks started the week higher amid China reported a slowdown in manufacturing activity and countries in the region continue to be affected by the Delta variant. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.7% to 27,742.28, while the Kospi in Seoul rose 0.1% to 3,205.43. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.9% to 26,189.44 after being in the red for much of the morning. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.7% to 3,422.64, while the Australian S & P / ASX 200 rose 1.5% to 7,501.20. The benchmark in Malaysia rose while those in Singapore and Indonesia fell. The gains in China follow data released Saturday by the National Bureau of Statistics, which shows the country’s official purchasing managers’ index has fallen.