Asian shares edged higher on Wednesday after Wall Street closed at a record high overnight and Chinese trade data signalled a recovery in the world’s second largest economy was gathering strength, while the yen remained under pressure.

China recorded a mild trade deficit of US$ 884 million (HK$ 6.9 billion) in March as imports surged way ahead of market expectations, growing 14.1 per cent year on year, while annual export growth of 10.0 per cent were largely in line with forecasts.