New Delhi, April 12 -- Since US President Donald Trump started hiking tariffs last year, many commentators have called attention to Asian exporters' resilience. But the narrowly concentrated gains in Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand have been driven primarily by electronics, obscuring the sharp divisions that a protectionist US and an export-reliant China are perpetuating across the region.

Beyond electronics exports, other sectors are being undercut, leading several governments to announce targeted support measures for firms and consumers, even as headline growth has headed higher.

At the same time, policymakers across the region have scrambled to negotiate trade deals with the US to secure a lower tariff rate than their competitors.

Thes...