Sweeping tariffs set to be imposed by President Donald Trump next month may cast a pall over his top diplomat’s first official trip to Asia this week — just as the U.S. seeks to boost relations with Indo-Pacific nations to counter China’s growing influence in the region.

Shares were mixed in Asia on Wednesday, following a choppy trading day on Wall Street as the Trump administration pressed its campaign to win more favorable trade deals with nations around the globe

Chinese state media warned the Trump administration against striking deals that sideline China, after the president announced that Asian countries would face higher tariffs starting on Aug. 1.

An indicator of copper import demand in top consumer China jumped 38% on Wednesday, suggesting robust appetite for the metal, after U.S. President Donald Trump's plans for a 50% import tariff drove down benchmark prices in London.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he will announce a 50% tariff on copper later in the day, aiming to boost U.S. production of a metal critical to electric vehicles, military hardware, the power grid and many consumer goods.

China warned the Trump administration on Tuesday against reigniting trade tension by restoring tariffs on its goods next month, and threatened to retaliate against nations that strike deals with the United States to cut China out of supply chains.

President Donald Trump posted several more letters on social media on Wednesday, setting tariff rates ranging from 20% for products from the Philippines to 30% for products from Algeria, Iraq, Sri Lanka,

On July 7th Donald Trump, America’s president, sent letters to Japan, South Korea and a dozen other trading partners pushing back the deadline for their trade talks from July 9th to August 1st and tweaking the tariffs they will face if talks fail.