Asian shares are mostly down as the Trump administration steps up pressure on trading partners to quickly make new deals before a Wednesday tariff deadline. Japan’s Nikkei 225 shed 0.5%, while

Most Asian stock markets experienced declines on Wednesday. This downturn was largely driven by investor apprehension surrounding the upcoming US trade. Read more details here.

So far, semiconductors are exempt from tariffs but Trump has threatened levies on them several times, and that uncertainty is making it near impossible for businesses to plan for the future. Also last week Bloomberg reported the White House is planning to further tighten controls over artificial intelligence (AI) chips by restricting shipments to Malaysia and Thailand to crack down on suspected smuggling of the technology to China.