Not to be outdone, the Russians and the Chinese, meeting in Beijing, issued a proposal for a regional peace conference that would include all the major players in Syria's neighborhood, most especially Iran and Turkey.

CNN: The only glimmer of hope for Syria

Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.5 percent to 23, 134.51 after the Chinese government issued a report showing that inflation rose slightly in April, which could temper any stimulus response by Beijing to China's shaky economic recovery.

NPR: Asia Stocks Mixed After China Inflation Report