Manufacturing surveys for Asia, including for its two biggest economies China and Japan, showed a broadly positive impulse for exports in a welcome sign for many of the companies tapped into the global supply chain.

"Encouragingly, the data indicated that the current upturn in demand remains broad-based across both domestic and international markets, while a further steep increase in purchasing activity raises the prospect of continued production growth in coming months," said Annabel Fiddes, economist at IHS Markit, referring to Taiwan's strong PMI reading.

Trump, however, remained the great unknown risk factor for Asia and the rest of the world.

In a key speech to Congress, the U.S. president outlined his plan for his first year in office that included healthcare and tax reforms, but he did not announce anything new on trade.

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