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· Asian shares fell on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump stunned markets by imposing tariffs on imports from Brazil and Argentina, rekindling fears over global trade tensions, while weak U.S. factory data added to the investor gloom.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.43% as Australian shares recorded their worst day in two months with a 2.2% drop.

But some Asian indexes rebounded in afternoon trade from session lows.

In tweets on Monday, Trump said he would impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Brazil and Argentina, attacking what he saw as both countries’ “massive devaluation of their currencies.”

Contrary to his remarks, both Brazil and Argentina have been trying to strengthen their respective currencies against the dollar.

· Japan’s Nikkei average dropped on Tuesday, as concerns about global trade revived after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on Brazil and Argentina, while weak U.S. manufacturing data also dented sentiment.

The Nikkei share average closed down 0.64% at 23,379.81. It had fallen as much as 1.46%, to 23,186.84, but managed to end the day above its 25-day moving average of 23,249, a key technical level.

On Monday, Trump said he would impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Brazil and Argentina, raising worries he could also re-escalate trade tensions with China.

· China stocks reversed course to end higher on Tuesday, led by gains in consumer and financial shares, as investors chased firms with low valuations following recent upbeat factory data.

The blue-chip CSI300 index rose 0.4% to 3,851.09, while the Shanghai Composite Index closed up 0.3% at 2,884.70.

Market was also underpinned by robust northbound inflows via the Stock Connect linking Hong Kong and Shanghai, which totalled 4.6 billion yuan for the day, as foreign investors increase their China exposure.