Mainland stocks closed lower on Tuesday as regulators tightened measures against speculation and abnormal trading practices while Hong Kong shares ended weaker on regional market weakness.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index ended trading on Tuesday down 76 points, or 0.29 percent, at 26,487 while the China enterprises index was down 39 points, or 0.43 percent, at 9,094 and the tech index was down 66 points, or 1.16 percent, at 5,683.

Sentiment was doused by weak Asian markets as a resurgence of trade war concerns curbed risk appetite.

Tech ‌stocks and raw material plays were ⁠among the biggest decliners.

On the mainland, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was down just over a third of a point, or 0.01 percent, at 4,113 while the Shenzhen Component Index was 138 points, or 0.97 percent, lower at 14,155. The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, was down 59 points, or 1.79 percent, at 3,277.

The Star Composite Index, which reflects the performance of stocks on China's sci-tech innovation board, was 1.65 percent lower at 1,820 while the Star 50 Index, which tracks the largest stocks listed on the board that also meet certain liquidity requirements, closed 1.58 percent lower at 1,482.

The losses came as China's securities watchdog fined a prominent stock commentator 83 ‍million yuan for market manipulation and imposed a ⁠three-year trading ban in its latest action on market misbehaviour.

Over ‍the past week, Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges each took regulatory measures against hundreds of abnormal trading practices such price pumping and false orders. The bourses also launched probes into several listed ‌companies over allegedly misleading statements.

The measures reflect regulators' intention to slow the pace of ‍market gains. Last week, China ‌tightened margin financing requirements after ‌the ‌Shanghai market hit decade-highs in record turnover.

On the macro front, China left its benchmark lending rates unchanged on Tuesday, as expected, after the economy ⁠hit its growth target of 5 percent in 2025.

Chinese sectors that ‌had been targeted by speculators, including satellite, ‍defence and rare-earths fell the most on Tuesday.

Once high-flying tech-related sectors, including artificial intelligence, cloud computing and biotech, also saw sharp corrections.

But real estate stocks jumped as bearish December data fuelled hopes for fresh government support. (Reuters/Xinhua)