Chinese shares close lower Monday

BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks closed lower on Monday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.5 percent to 3,351.26 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 1.03 percent lower at 10,537.4 points.

The combined turnover covered by the two indices stood at nearly 1.53 trillion yuan (about 213 billion U.S. dollars), up from 1.52 trillion yuan recorded on the previous trading day.

Shares in the banking and insurance sectors led the gains, while those related to AI application, gaming and media saw declines.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, lost 0.98 percent to close at 2,187.94 points. ■