Eurozone inflation edged down slightly in February to 2.4 percent thanks to a slowdown in energy price increases, official data showed on Monday.

Last month's rate was down from 2.5 percent in January, but it came in higher than the 2.3 percent predicted by analysts for financial data firm FactSet.

Germany's inflation rate remained stable in February at 2.3 percent, preliminary data showed Friday, leaving the door open for the European Central Bank to ease rates at its meeting next week.

The annual inflation rate in Europe's largest economy was in line with the expectations of analysts surveyed by financial data firm FactSet.

Shares in Japan and South Korea closed sharply lower on Friday as US President Donald Trump's volley of tariff measures sparked fresh fears about a global trade war.

Japan's Nikkei 225 closed down 2.88 percent at 37,155.50, while in Seoul the Kospi ended 3.39 percent lower at 2,532.78. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong was off 3.47 percent in afternoon trade.

China warned on Friday that an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports by the United States would "seriously impact dialogue" between the two countries on narcotics control, accusing Washington of "blackmail".

"Pressure, coercion and threats are not the correct way to deal with China. Mutual respect is the basic premise," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.

French Finance Minister Eric Lombard told AFP on Thursday that the European Union would "do the same" if the United States maintains 25 percent tariffs announced by President Donald Trump.

"It is clear that if the Americans maintain the tariff hikes, as President Trump announced, the EU will do the same," Lombard said on the sidelines of the G20 finance ministers meeting in Cape Town.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he plans to start selling a "gold card" visa with a potential pathway to U.S. citizenship for $5 million, seeking to have that new initiative replace a 35-year-old visa program for investors.

"I happen to think it'll sell like crazy. It's a market," Trump said. "But we'll know very soon."

Thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development workers who have been fired or placed on leave as part of the Trump administration's dismantling of the agency are being given a brief window Thursday and Friday to clear out their workspaces.

USAID placed 4,080 staffers who work across the globe on leave Monday. That was joined by a "reduction in force" that will affect another 1,600 employees, a State Department spokesman said in an emailed response to questions.

France is also seeking access to Ukraine 's deposits of critical minerals, with negotiations already underway for months, the French defense minister said Thursday, indicating that the United States isn't the only player.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected Friday at the White House to sign a minerals deal with the United States. President Donald Trump made the announcement Wednesday.

Kyiv and Washington have agreed a deal to give the United States access to Ukrainian mineral resources, following a spat between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

Key details of the accord remain unclear: exactly how much money is at stake? Will the deal provide security guarantees for Ukraine?

The European Union executive on Wednesday announced plans for a major revamp of its economic strategy to meet demands of the bloc's captains of industry who have long complained about excessive taxation, sky high energy prices and an overbearing bureaucracy that makes the bloc unattractive.

At the same time, environmental groups say that far-reaching deregulation and the boosting of conditions for energy-intensive companies will come at the cost to the EU's ambitious climate targets.