LONDON (CNNfn) - Asian markets ended mixed Wednesday, with auto and technology stocks attracting investors in Japan, while Hong Kong was hit by concern about the territory's prospects if China's relationship with the U.S. deteriorate when a new president is installed in the White House.
Uncertainty reigned about the outcome of the U.S. presidential vote as Pacific-region markets closed. During trading hours, however, Texas Governor the Republican candidate George W. Bush had appeared to be within a whisker of victory, sparking apprehension that a Republican White House would spell cooler relations with Beijing.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei average of 225 stocks rose 59.31 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 15,399.64, with the country's second-biggest automaker Honda Motor and consumer electronics powerhouse Sony among the leading gainers.
 Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 166.66 points, or more than 1 percent, to end the session at 15,654.13, led by China Mobile, mainland China's biggest cellular phone company, and London-based bank HSBC Holdings.
Market watchers have expressed concern about a Bush administration's attitude to China's bid to be admitted to the World Trade Organization.
"There might be some short-term negative reaction on China shares as there is some concern that Sino-U.S. relations might not be so good under a Bush presidency," said Ben Kwong, associate director of brokers KGI Asia.
In Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.5 percent from the previous day's record close to end at 3,354.2, with media giant News Corp., its biggest component, dropping more than 4 percent. Cable & Wireless Optus, Australia's second-biggest phone operator, fell 3.1 percent.
The Straits Times index in Singapore slipped 0.2 percent to finish at 2,016.52. OCBC Bank fell 3.3 percent and Overseas Union Bank dropped 2.8 percent.
In the U.S. Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2 percent to 10,952.18, while the tech-laden Nasdaq Composite index closed at 3,415.79, little changed from the previous day.
In the currency market, the yen weakened to ¥107.36 against the U.S. dollar, from ¥107.02 in late New York trading Tuesday.
Autos rev up in Tokyo
On the Tokyo exchange, Honda Motor rose 1.5 percent. The carmaker reported a 12 percent drop in half-year profit as a strong yen outweighed robust growth in vehicle sales. Among rival automakers, Mazda Motor climbed 1.2 percent and Toyota Motor jumped 1.8 percent.
Bellwether consumer electronics producer Sony rose almost 1 percent and the country's biggest PC maker Fujitsu advanced 1.6 percent.
Electronic equipment maker Anritsu jumped 5.7 percent after returning to profit in its fiscal first half. Alps Electric climbed 4.3 percent after posting firm half-year earnings and giving an upbeat forecast for the coming months.
Softbank Technology, a subsidiary of Internet investor Softbank, surged 15.6 percent after it said it will jointly develop and market network systems with the Japanese unit of Cisco Systems (CSCO: Research, Estimates). Softbank shares rose 2.9 percent.
In Hong Kong, China Mobile dropped 2.3 percent and property-to-phones conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa slipped 1.8 percent.
Pacific Century CyberWorks bucked the negative trend among telecom stocks, rising 3.3 percent on newspaper reports that Richard Li's Internet company might collaborate with its Australian partner Telstra take a majority stake in Singapore's MobileOne.
Interest-rate-sensitive banks and property stocks also declined amid speculation a Bush election victory in the U.S. would indirectly keep interest rates higher for longer than a win for Gore. Hong Kong interest rates track those in the U.S. because the territory's currency is pegged to the U.S. dollars.
HSBC Holdings fell 0.9 percent, Dao Heng Bank lost 1 percent and the Bank of East Asia slipped 0.8 percent. Cheung Kong (Holdings), the territory's biggest property company, lost 1 percent and New World Development dropped 2.1 percent.
"Bush will try to cut taxes and boost consumption, so this may delay a cut in U.S. interest rates," said Patrick Yiu, associate director at Kingsway Fund Management.
Among other markets in the region, Bangkok's SET index climbed 2.4 percent, the KOSPI index in Seoul added 0.9 percent and Taipei's Weighted index rose 3.2 percent.
Manila's PHS Composite fell 2.3 percent and KLSE Composite in Kuala Lumpur lost 0.7 percent. 
--from staff and wire reports
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