BEIJING - Chinese stocks closed higher on Thursday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 1.27 percent to 2,988.36 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.76 percent higher at 9,043.75 points.

The combined turnover of stocks covered by the two indices totaled 822.4 billion yuan (about $115.8 billion), down from 980.25 billion yuan on the previous trading day.

Stocks rose across the board, with coal shares leading the gains.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, gained 0.31 percent to close at 1,757.87 points Thursday.