China stocks end higher on PMI at midday

Chinese stocks closed higher in the morning session Thursday, after data showed expansion in China's manufacturing industry.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index closed at 2,105.6, up 1.77 percent, while the Shenzhen Component Index closed 2.36 percent higher at 8,669.28.

The purchasing managers' index, the main gauge for factory production, rose to 50.2 percent in October from 49.8 percent in September, according to data released by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

The figure was above the 50-percent boom-or-bust line for the first time since July.