Japan's Nikkei Index (N225) dropped for the second straight day, shedding around 1.5%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index (HSI) and the Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) both closed more than 1% lower.
Chinese stocks have now fallen around 6% so far this week.
Wednesday's slide comes on the eve of trade talks in Washington between China and the United States, which have been overshadowed by the Trump administration's renewed threat to increase tariffs on Chinese goods.
A delegation led by China's top trade negotiator, Liu He, is heading to the United States for talks on Thursday, just days after President Donald Trump said he would raise tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese exports, starting Friday. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer confirmed on Monday that the duty increases would take effect.
"With the trade talks restarting...we will need to see concrete progress and quickly in order to lift Trump's threat," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at Oanda. "Until then, it's hard to see the monsoon clouds hanging over Asia's regional markets clearing."
Investors had been expecting a timely resolution of the trade dispute between Beijing and Washington, an assumption that helped drive the US stock rally this year. The potential reigniting of the trade war now has them worried about the implications for businesses and the global economy.
European markets appeared to be steadying on Wednesday, however, with the FTSE 100 (UKX), DAX (DAX) and CAC 40 (CAC40) all flat at the open.
The uncertainty hit US markets hard on Tuesday, with the Dow (DJIEW)marking its second-worst trading day of the year with a 473-point plunge. The S&P 500 (SPX) was down 1.7% and the Nasdaq (COMP) fell 2%.
US stock futures, however, were pointing slightly higher on Wednesday.
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