Positive PMI data lift Chinese shares

Chinese shares closed higher on Thursday over positive official purchasing managers' index (PMI) figures for the country's manufacturing sector.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.77 percent, or 35.27 points, to end at 2,029.07. The Shenzhen Component Index gained 2.14 percent, or 166.39 points, to 7,931.79.

Combined turnover on the two bourses expanded to 188 billion yuan (30.42 billion U.S. dollars) from Wednesday's 144.82 billion yuan.

China's PMI for the manufacturing sector improved slightly to 50.3 percent in July from 50.1 percent in June, above the boom-bust line of 50 percent for 10 months in a row, according to official data released on Thursday.

But HSBC's final PMI reading, a result of private survey, for China's manufacturing sector dropped for a third straight month to an 11-month low of 47.7 in July from 48.2 in June, underlying the divided opinions toward the world's second-largest economy.

HSBC's PMI reading focuses more on small- and medium-sized manufacturers, while the official PMI focuses on relatively big and state-owned firms.

China Vanke, the country's largest developer by market value, rose 2.31 percent to 9.74 yuan, while another property giant Poly Real Estate shot up by 3.43 percent.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd., the country's biggest listed lender, rose 0.51 percent to 3.91 yuan. China Construction Bank Corp., another financial heavyweight, gained 0.70 percent to 4.32 yuan per share.