The Hang Seng Index shed 0.69 percent, or 181.47 points, to 25,939.30.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.71 percent, or 19.80 points, to 2,774.75 while the Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, closed 1.27 percent, or 19.09 points lower, at 1,479.86.