China's trade surplus with the United States surged by a fifth in the first three months of the year with China calling Friday on Washington to be patient as tensions between the economic superpowers simmer.

President Donald Trump said Thursday the US could re-enter the Trans-Pacific Partnership if it could get a "better" deal, potentially marking an abrupt about-face for a president who campaigned against the deal and swiftly withdrew from it after taking office last year.

German car giant Volkswagen is set to replace chief executive Matthias Mueller Thursday, as it seeks to turn the page on the "dieselgate" emissions scandal that has dogged the company since 2015.

The supervisory board of the world's leading carmaker will meet a day ahead of schedule and announce its decisions in a statement, a source close to the company told AFP.

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.