<h1>Asian stocks rise on tech strength; legal questions about enforceability of unilateral leader assurances on use of force against Taiwan</h1> Asian equity gains, led by technology shares, followed strong US market performance driven by a major US online retailer's profit beat; benchmarks and futures rose while Chinese factory PMIs showed slowing activity. A public statement by the US president asserting a pledge from the Chinese leader not to use force against Taiwan raises legal and diplomatic questions about the enforceability of such unilateral political assurances and potential effects on sovereign commitments. Markets remained cautious about the durability of a US-China trade truce and firms' disclosure and fiduciary duties, given concentrated index influence from a few large tech companies and ongoing AI-related investment risks.