Reports that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China provided optimism for a thawing of relations between the superpowers, but with a lacklustre Wall Street performance and few catalysts to drive business, regional traders moved cautiously.
Meanwhile, a World Bank warning on the global economic outlook gave some food for thought as it lowered its growth expectations for next year.
Traders are keeping tabs on China, with reports saying authorities have asked the country's biggest banks to lower their deposit rates in a bid to boost the economy as it struggles to recover from years of zero-Covid lockdowns.
Analysts said such a move could indicate the People's Bank of China was considering an interest rate cut as soon as this month.
The need for fresh help was highlighted Wednesday by data showing Chinese exports tumbled more than seven percent in May, far more than expected and the first drop since February.
The reading follows figures showing shrinking factory activity and showed the uphill task officials have in kickstarting the economy. And while imports performed better than forecasts, there remain concerns over consumer activity.
The report was "yet another disappointing data which will raise growth concerns and intensify expectations of more policy support", said Khoon Goh, at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group.
Figures also showed China's total trade with Russia hit $20.5 billion in May, its highest level in a single month since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Speculation is swirling that Blinken will fly to Beijing within the next few weeks in a bid to get relations back on track after his planned visit in February was called off over what Washington said was a Chinese spy balloon.
With reports saying Blinken could meet President Xi Jinping, there are hopes the two sides could calm tensions that have chilled world markets for years.
Hong Kong resumed its recent advance thanks to a tech rally, while Shanghai was also in positive territory though both pared morning gains.
There were also positives in Taipei, Manila and Mumbai while Seoul was flat.
Tokyo dropped 1.8 percent after enjoying strong recent buying interest -- the Nikkei 225 has piled on about a fifth since mid-March -- while Singapore, Sydney, Bangkok, Jakarta and Wellington also struggled.
London, Paris and Frankfurt all fell in the morning.
Next week's Fed policy decision is also in focus, with investors hoping officials will decide not to lift borrowing costs for an 11th successive meeting, in light of data indicating more than a year of tightening is beginning to kick in.
A mixed jobs report last week, which showed a pick up in hiring but slower wage growth, suggested the US economy remained healthy and gave the central bank room to skip a hike this month, even as inflation remains sticky.
However, there appears to be a split among monetary policymakers on the way forward, and with a so-called blackout period for board members now in place, traders will have no insight until decision day.
The World Bank warned Tuesday that the global economy faced headwinds going into 2024 owing to restrictive central bank monetary policies and the possibility of more upheaval among struggling lenders.
It lifted its growth outlook for this year to 2.1 percent from an earlier 1.7 percent estimate but lowered its forecast for next year to 2.4 percent from 2.7 percent.
"Global growth is projected to slow significantly in the second half of this year, with weakness continuing in 2024," the World Bank said.
"The possibility of more widespread bank turmoil and tighter monetary policy could result in even weaker global growth."
On Wednesday, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development slightly raised its global outlook for this year as inflation eases and after China dropped Covid restrictions.
However, it warned the recovery faced a "long road" and would be "weak by past standards".
- Key figures around 0810 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.8 percent at 31,913.74 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.8 percent at 19,252.00 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 3,197.76 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 7,624.28
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0687 from $1.0696 on Tuesday
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 139.47 yen from 139.65 yen
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2418 from $1.2427
Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.06 pence from 86.07 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.6 percent at $71.31 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.6 percent at $75.83 per barrel
New York - Dow: FLAT at 33,573.28 (close)
-- Bloomberg News contributed to this story --
dan/axn
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