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ZHANG:Asia shares soothed by several large takeover bids; China markets rise after Party officials step in.ZHANG: Asia stock markets gained on Monday as several mega-deals calmed market jitters.Japan's Nikkei rose to a two-week high, an increase of 2.7 percent. Internet-related companies like Softbank surged on hopes that Microsoft's $45 billion bid for Yahoo would boost valuations.Global stock markets have taken a beating this year on fears a U.S. slowdown and credit crunch would dry up large takeover deals.Investors shrugged off those fears in Australia, as shares edged up 0.4 percent. Gold miner Rio Tinto gained after U.S. company Alcoa teamed up with a Chinese firm to buy a $14 billion stake in the company last week. That share raid complicates a bid for Rio Tinto by rival firm BHP Billiton.But BHP Billiton also rose as investors bet that the firm would not end up overpaying for Rio. Shanghai stocks were up after authorities intervened to halt last week's slide by approving new stock mutual funds after a freeze of several months.Elsewhere in Asia, markets in Seoul and Taiwan gained, with the KOSPI up 3.5 percent and the TAIEX up 2 percent. Hong Kong stocks surged in the morning session, and ended the day 3.8 percent higher, led by construction materials plays.