Chinese shares close higher Monday

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks closed higher on Monday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 1.38 percent to 4,023.42 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 2.24 percent higher at 13,828.63 points.

The combined turnover of these two indices totaled 2.55 trillion yuan (about 362.57 billion U.S. dollars), up from 2.05 trillion yuan on the previous trading day.

Stocks related to brain-computer interface, insurance, storage chips and innovative drugs led the gains, while the Hainan Free Trade Zone, duty-free stores, tourism and cross-border payments sectors posted notable declines.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, gained 2.85 percent to close at 3,294.55 points.

The STAR Composite Index, which reflects the performance of stocks on China's sci-tech innovation board, closed 3.61 percent higher at 1,695.84 points.

The STAR 50 Index, which tracks the 50 largest stocks listed on the board that also meet certain liquidity requirements, closed 4.4 percent higher at 1,403.41 points. ■