Hong Kong - Hong Kong stocks plunged in the morning session on Wednesday as another sell-off in oil hammered energy firms, while insurance companies were also hit by a report China would clamp down on the purchase of overseas cover.
The Hang Seng Index sank 483.44 points, to 18 963.4 by the break.
And the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 32.07 points, to 2 717.50, while the Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, eased 9.12 points, to 1 719.97.