The benchmark Hang Seng Index slipped 3.09 percent, or 647.47 points, to close at 20,333.34 -- it has lost more than seven percent in its four trading days this year.
In Shanghai the composite Index closed down 7.04 percent, or 236.84 points, at 3,125.00 and the Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, tumbled 8.24 percent, or 175.87 points, to 1,958.09.