Hong Kong stocks began Monday on the back foot as traders returned from a long weekend break to play catch-up with losses across Asia at the end of last week, with fears of a recession the key driver of selling.

The Hang Seng Index fell 0.77 percent, or 169.11 points, to 21,690.68.

The Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.17 percent, or 5.82 points, to 3,381.82, while the Shenzhen Composite Index slipped 0.23 percent, or 5.08 points, to 2,214.33. (AFP)