Asia markets fell on Thursday as fears about a high-stakes US-Russia stand-off over Syria arrested a rally fuelled by Xi Jinping's conciliatory trade message earlier in the week.

New Zealand is halting all new offshore oil and gas exploration to become a global leader in the fight against climate change, the centre-left government said Thursday, but opponents accused it of "economic vandalism".

IMF chief Christine Lagarde warned China on Thursday about saddling other countries with a "problematic increase in debt" through its ambitious global trade infrastructure project.

Stock markets retreated on Wednesday as U.S. President Donald Trump's vow to strike Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons made investors jittery.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde on Wednesday issued a stern warning to governments to avoid undermining global growth with protectionist trade policies.

China said on Wednesday it would allow foreign investors greater access to its stock markets and promised that other previously announced financial reforms would come into effect within months in its latest conciliatory signals amid US trade tensions.

Turkey's embattled currency the lira on Tuesday plunged to new lows against the dollar and the euro, with investors fearing strong growth was masking the risks of high inflation and overheating.

Wall Street stocks added to gains early Tuesday following a conciliatory speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping that reassured investors a trade war with the United States could be avoided.

Beijing has requested dispute consultations with the United States at the World Trade Organization over US tariffs slapped on imports of Chinese steel and alumium products, according to a WTO document published Tuesday.

Iran took the drastic step of fixing the rate of its currency against the dollar on Tuesday in a bid to arrest a slide that has seen it fall by a third in six months.