SE Asia Stocks-Slide on global economic worries

* Deluge of negative political news hits sentiment

* Vietnam on track for 7-day losing streak

* Philippines top loser in the region

By Rashmi Ashok

Dec 21 (Reuters) - Shares across Southeast Asia tumbled on

Friday, tracking losses in other Asian equities as the threat of

a U.S. government shutdown added to a raft of negative

headlines, fanning investor concerns about the economic outlook.

Philippine and Vietnamese shares fell the most

in the region, with declines of 1.35 percent and 1.01 percent,

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

shed 0.6 percent.

Just as investors digested the U.S. Federal Reserve's plan

to continue hiking interest rates in 2019, the prospect of a

government shutdown hit markets already weary from see-sawing

sentiment on U.S.-China trade relations.

In the latest blow to ties, the United States chastised

China for economic espionage, while a Reuters story revealed

that hackers working for the Chinese government breached the

networks of two prominent American tech companies.

"The U.S.-China geopolitical relations were expected to

improve last month, especially with the efforts to reach a trade

truce," said Fio Dejesus, an equity research analyst at RCBC

Securities in Manila. "We're seeing it heavily deteriorate

again, and this is the biggest factor for the fall (in

Philippine shares)," he said.

China is the biggest trading partner for Southeast Asia and

any news about escalating Sino-U.S. tensions have routinely

hammered stocks in the region.

Philippine shares were pressured by a roughly 1.8 percent

decline each in SM Investments Corp and Aboitiz Equity

Ventures Inc.

Vietnam's benchmark headed for a seventh successive

session of losses as consumer stocks including Vietnam Dairy

Products JSC and food processing firm Masan Group Corp

lost ground.

Singaporean shares also edged lower, with marine port

services operator Hutchison Port Holdings Trust

falling 3.9 percent and diversified conglomerate Jardine

Matheson Holdings Ltd shedding 2.4 percent.

Financial shares pulled the Indonesian benchmark

lower. Shares of Bank Central Asia Tbk and Bank

Mandiri (Persero) Tbk fell 0.8 percent and 1 percent

respectively.

Thai stocks edged lower, with energy stocks coming

under pressure. Oil and gas explorers PTT PCL and PTT

Exploration and Production PCL lost 0.5 percent and

0.4 percent, respectively.

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SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS at 0302 GMT

Change on the day

Market Current Previous close Pct Move

Singapore 3036.39 3050.62 -0.47

Bangkok 1588.33 1596.1 -0.49

Manila 7460.99 7563.41 -1.35

Jakarta 6128.832 6147.876 -0.31

Kuala Lumpur 1649.23 1650.56 -0.08

Ho Chi Minh 908.99 918.24 -1.01

Change on year

Market Current End prev yr Pct Move

Singapore 3036.39 3402.92 -10.77

Bangkok 1588.33 1753.71 -9.43

Manila 7460.99 8,558.42 -12.82

Jakarta 6128.832 6,355.65 -3.57

Kuala Lumpur 1649.23 1796.81 -8.21

Ho Chi Minh 908.99 984.24 -7.65

(Reporting by Rashmi Ashok in Bengaluru; Editing by Sai Sachin

Ravikumar)