Chinese equities continued Wednesday's rise, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.29 percent, or 8.04 points, to close at 2,759.57 points on Thursday.

The Shenzhen Component Index gained 0.2 percent, or 24.33 points, to close at 12,138.9 points.

Combined turnover expanded to 161.89 billion yuan (24.45 billion U.S. dollars), from 145.28 billion yuan on the previous trading day.

Losers outnumbered winners by 458 to 409 in Shanghai, while winners outnumbered losers by 579 to 517 in Shenzhen.