BEIJING - Chinese stocks closed lower on Thursday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.68 percent to 3,380.82 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 1.62 percent lower at 10,186.45 points.  

The combined turnover of these two indices stood at approximately 1.15 trillion yuan (about $159.8 billion), down from 1.32 trillion yuan on the previous trading day.

Shares related to synthetic biology, food, and ports led the gains, while those in the software development and computing power sectors were among the biggest losers.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, lost 1.91 percent to close at 2,043.25 points Thursday.