Asia markets slumped on Monday after Donald Trump slapped tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, sparking fears of another bruising ‘America First’ trade war that could hit global growth. Japan’s Nikkei plunged more than two percent at one point on Monday and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down more than one percent.

President Donald Trump said the sweeping tariffs that he has imposed on Mexico, Canada and China may cause "short term" pain for Americans as global markets reflected concerns the levies could undermine growth and reignite inflation.

Donald Trump hit Canada, Mexico and China with steep tariffs on Saturday, and oil and gas groups are relying more heavily on carbon offsets to reach climate targets. Plus, EU governments are exploring ways to include the UK and Norway in a “coalition of the willing” dedicated to ramping up the continent’s defence.