Japan's Nikkei 225 index was down 1.2 percent at lunchtime. The broader Topix was down 0.4 percent, while South Korea's Kospi was unchanged.
After figures showed that China's economy grew slightly faster than expected in the third quarter, Shanghai was up 0.3 percent and Shenzhen was up 0.4 percent.
The Hong Kong stock exchange was closed on Monday.