Asian stocks trade higher, supported by investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence-linked themes. In South Korea, the KOSPI index rises 1.7%, and the gain is noted as lifting year-to-date performance for 2026 to 88%. Market coverage also highlights South Korean memory chipmaker SK Hynix, which is described as moving closer to reaching a trillion-dollar market valuation. Alongside the AI-driven sentiment, investors focus on upcoming developments in US–China relations, with attention turning to a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping. Across the reporting, the combination of AI optimism and expectations of policy signals from the Trump–Xi summit are presented as the main near-term drivers for sentiment in Asian markets. The articles do not describe specific outcomes from the meeting but indicate that traders are adjusting positions ahead of it.