Shanghai Comp sees choppy trade after weak China PMI

China's Shanghai Composite index receded nearly 1 percent amid choppy trade after a private survey showed the Asian economic giant's manufacturing activity at a one-year low. In other parts of the region, Asian bourses were higher across the board early Thursday.

The less-than-stellar manufacturing data sparked volatility in Chinese markets. The Shanghai bourse fell back into negative terrain, down 0.8 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index trimmed gains once again, last seen with a gain of 0.3 percent.

In Shanghai, infrastructure counters were buoyant in early trade; China Railway Group charged up 1.2 percent, while China Railway Construction elevated nearly 1 percent. However, declines in the heavyweight components offset these gains

Japan's Nikkei 225 continued its advance above the 20,000 mark, hitting a new 15-year high of 20,211 points, after closing above that level for the first time in 15 years on Wednesday.
South Korea's benchmark Kospi index climbed up steadily, rewriting a three-and-a-half-year high on Thursday, thanks to a slew of better-than-expected corporate results.