BEIJING/SEOUL: Asia's factory engines sputtered in October as U.S. tariffs and weakening global demand under U.S. President Donald Trump weighed heavily on export orders, leaving most of the region's manufacturing powerhouses struggling to regain momentum.

Fresh business surveys showed slower manufacturing growth in China and outright contraction in South Korea, with export orders sliding in both economies. The data reinforced what many economists have warned for weeks, that Trump's tariff policies and soft U.S. consumer spending are rippling through Asia's supply chains.

Friday's official PMI reading confirmed China's factory activity contracted for a seventh straight month, signaling that the brief surge in exports earlier this year, when companies rushed to ship goods before tariffs took effect, has faded.

"The PMIs suggest that China's economy lost some momentum in October, with slower growth across manufacturing and construction," said Zichun Huang, China economist at Capital Economics. "Some of this weakness may reverse in the near term, but any boost to exports from the latest U.S.-China trade ‘deal' is likely to be modest, and wider headwinds to growth will persist."

Trump's visit to Asia last week brought cautious optimism but few concrete wins. The U.S. and China agreed to delay new reciprocal tariffs for one year, while the U.S. and South Korea reached a separate deal to reduce tariffs on Korean exports. Still, economists said both agreements did little to fix the structural tensions between Washington and Beijing or reassure manufacturers facing weaker U.S. demand.

Policymakers in Beijing are now weighing whether China's US$19 trillion economy remains on course to hit its 2025 growth target of around five percent, or if fresh stimulus measures will be needed to offset slowing exports and consumer spending.

Trade data from September showed Chinese exports rising faster than expected, but mainly because shipments to new markets in Southeast Asia and the Middle East surged, even as exports to the United States plunged 27 percent year-on-year.

South Korea, meanwhile, is treading carefully after striking a limited trade deal with Trump that avoided steeper U.S. duties on its goods.

Outside Northeast Asia, the region's manufacturing picture was mixed. India's factory activity accelerated, supported by robust domestic demand that cushioned the hit from lower exports. However, Malaysia and Taiwan continued to report falling factory output, underscoring how dependent both remain on global electronics and semiconductor cycles.

Vietnam and Indonesia, by contrast, saw their manufacturing sectors expand further, fueled by steady inflows of investment and new export contracts from firms relocating production out of China.