BEIJING - Chinese stocks closed higher on Wednesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.85 percent to 3,346.39 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 1.43 percent higher at 10,708.88 points.

The combined turnover of stocks covered by these two indices was about 1.68 trillion yuan ($234.28 billion), up from 1.64 trillion yuan on the previous trading day.

Stocks in the automotive chip and semiconductor sectors led the gains, while those in the gold and shipping sectors saw declines.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, gained 1.81 percent to close at 2,191.76 points on Wednesday.