Asia markets set to fall as U.S. trade talks with China hang in the balance

This is CNBC’s live blog covering Asia-Pacific markets.

Asia-Pacific markets are expected to fall as U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick affirmed that President Donald Trump’s upcoming Friday deadline to impose major tariffs on a slew of trading partners will not be delayed further.

However, Lutnick noted that trade negotiations with China are progressing on a separate timeline, he said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

Happy mid-week from Singapore. Asia markets are poised for a lower open.

Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index stood at 25,344, pointing to a weaker open compared with the HSI’s last close of 25,524.45