Asia stocks edged higher on Monday as China's exports declined in November for the fourth consecutive month, according to the country's customs data.

Mainland Chinese stocks closed little changed, with the Shanghai composite fractionally higher at around 2,914.48, the Shenzhen component at 9,876.27 while the Shenzhen composite was at about 1,640.51.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was 0.14% higher, as of its final hour of trading, with protests in the city crossing a 6-month milestone. Demonstrators have been locked in a stalemate with the city's embattled local government since early June.

China's overseas shipments dropped 1.1% year-on-year in November, below the 1.0% expansion expected by analysts in a Reuters poll. Imports, on the other hand, rose 0.3% as compared to a year earlier — exceeding projections for a 1.8% decline.

The latest print on Chinese trade comes as Beijing remains embroiled in a trade war with Washington. Both parties aim to reach a "phase one" trade deal that has remained elusive ahead of a closely-watched date of Dec. 15, when additional tariffs on Chinese exports to the U.S. are set to kick in.

The continued decline in exports from China means that Beijing has "very good incentive to come to some agreement," Steve Cochrane, chief Asia Pacific economist at Moody's Analytics, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday. "That ... might be a positive factor."

Still, Cochrane remained uncertain on the possible timeline for the two economic powerhouses to strike a deal: "I think there's probably as much of a chance that we go into next year before we get an agreement, as we get one next week."