SE Asia Stocks-Fall as Sino-U.S. relation strains ahead of trade talks

* Sino-U.S. trade deal hangs in balance

* Tech exporters under pressure after Nvidia warning

By Mensholong Lepcha

Jan 29 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets fell on

Tuesday after the United States charged China's Huawei with bank

fraud and for conspiring to steal trade secrets, denting hopes

of a trade deal days before talks between Washington and

Beijing.

Broader Asian shares felt the heat of recent developments as

the MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan

slipped 0.5 percent.

Investors nervously await resolution to U.S.-China trade

spat as Chinese Vice Premier Liu He visits Washington on Jan.

30-31 for a fresh round of talks.

Prospects for a Sino-U.S. trade deal dimmed as the U.S.

Justice Department charged the world's biggest

telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd

and its chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou with

conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran by doing business

with Tehran through a subsidiary it tried to hide.

However, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the Huawei

charges are "wholly separate" from the trade negotiations.

"Having relented on the U.S. government shutdown, President

Donald Trump needs to show a win on trade at his State of the

Union address on 5 February," said DBS Group Research in a

client note.

"But this morning's indictments by the U.S. Department of

Justice against China's Huawei, its chief financial officer, and

two bank affiliates illustrate the risks attached to the

U.S.-China relationship," DBS added.

Singapore and Vietnam, both technology exporters, were also

under pressure after warnings from U.S. manufacturers

Caterpillar Inc and Nvidia Corp about softening

Chinese demand.

Singapore shares fell as much as 0.7 percent, with a

bulk of losses coming from the technology sector, after Nvidia

Corp on Monday cut its fourth-quarter revenue estimate on weak

demand for its gaming chips in China and lower-than-expected

data centre sales.

Venture Corp slipped as much as 1.3 percent, while

Singapore Technologies Engineering lost as much as 1

percent.

Vietnam shares were on track to snap four straight

days of gains, losing as much as 0.5 percent.

Petrovietnam Gas Joint Stock Corp and Saigon Beer

Alcohol Beverage were the biggest drags, falling as

much as 1.5 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively.

Thai shares slipped as much as 0.3 percent on

broad-based losses.

Data on Tuesday showed the country's manufacturing

production index (MPI) in December rose 0.75 percent from a year

earlier, but missed analyst expectations

For Asian Companies click;

SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS AT 0336 GMT

Market Current Previous close Pct Move

Singapore 3181.09 3199.5 -0.58

Bangkok 1623.52 1625.03 -0.09

Manila 8026.14 8053.92 -0.34

Jakarta 6453.835 6458.712 -0.08

Kuala Lumpur 1689.71 1697.5 -0.46

Ho Chi Minh 907.83 912.18 -0.48

Change so far in 2019

Market Current End 2018 Pct Move

Singapore 3181.09 3068.76 3.66

Bangkok 1623.52 1563.88 3.81

Manila 8026.14 7,466.02 7.50

Jakarta 6453.835 6,194.50 4.19

Kuala Lumpur 1689.71 1690.58 -0.05

Ho Chi Minh 907.83 892.54 1.71

(Reporting by Mensholong Lepcha; Editing by Shreejay Sinha)