Dhaka, April 9 -- Asian stock markets tumbled on Wednesday after a sweeping new round of U.S. tariffs, including a staggering 104% duty on Chinese imports, officially came into force at midnight Eastern Time. The move has intensified global trade tensions and triggered widespread uncertainty among investors, economists, and policymakers.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 took a significant hit, at one point plunging more than 5%, while other key regional indices followed suit. By mid-afternoon in Tokyo, the Nikkei was down 4.7% at 32,475.57. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.8% to 19,769.24, South Korea's Kospi shed 1.9% to 2,290.87, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 1.8% to 7,374.80. Shanghai's Composite Index edged slightly lower by 4 poin...