Chinese shares close lower Wednesday

BEIJING - Chinese stocks closed lower Wednesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.46 percent, at 3,517.31 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.67 percent lower at 15,233.15 points.

The combined turnover of stocks covered by the two indices expanded to 953.6 billion yuan ($147.46 billion) from 901 billion yuan on the previous trading day.

Agriculture and farming were among the sectors that gained the most, with shares of Muyuan Foods, one of China's largest hog producers, surging by close to the daily limit of 10 percent.

Manufacturers of ships, aircraft and textile machinery suffered losses.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, dipped 0.15 percent to close at 3,223.77 points Wednesday.