Shaken by Donald Trump's tariff blitz, the EU has embarked on a charm offensive to diversify its alliances in Asia and beyond, with summits lined up back-to-back and trade talks launched in all directions.

When the US president unleashed his crippling "Liberation Day" tariffs on April 2, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen gave her first reaction, not in Brussels, but from Uzbekistan where she was in talks to bolster trade ties with Central Asia.

Although Trump has since rowed back with a 90-day pause, the European Union still faces tariffs of 10 percent on a vast majority of goods and higher on steel, aluminium and cars -- with an uphill challenge to negotiate a way out of the standoff.

Faced with Trump's disruptive protectionism, Brussels is pulling out the stops to salvage its 1.6 trillion euro ($1.8 trillion) relationship with Europe's main trade partner the United States.

But it is also trumpeting its mission to cultivate trade ties elsewhere.

"Europe continues to focus on diversifying its trade partnerships, engaging with countries that account for 87 percent of global trade and share our........

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