The Hang Seng Index on Friday was down about 1.4 percent, or 240 points, in early trading at 17,064.

The sell-off came after Wall Street stocks tumbled on Thursday following weak manufacturing data, sparking worries about a US recession.

Earlier, European stocks had slumped on disappointing bank earnings.

All three major US indices finished decisively lower, with the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index falling the most at 2.3 percent.

Markets will get another key US economic data point on Friday with monthly jobs data. (with additional reporting from Xinhua and AFP)