HONG KONG: Hong Kong shares finished down on Tuesday, dragged by financial and tech firms, tracking Asian markets lower as investors contemplated the implications of a potentially imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Hang Seng index fell 0.8%, to 24,355.71, while the China Enterprises Index lost 1.1%, to 8,528.27 points.

The United States warned on Monday that Russia could soon invade Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US embassy would be relocated from Kyiv to Lviv, citing the “dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces”.

The Group of Seven large economies (G7) warned of “economic and financial sanctions which will have massive and immediate consequences on the Russian economy”.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) injected 300 billion yuan ($47.19 billion) through medium-term loans into the financial system on Tuesday, more than markets had expected, while keeping the interest rate unchanged.