(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-26 16:18

BEIJING - China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index finished 0.63 percent lower Wednesday with slides in PetroChina, Sinopec, and China Pacific Insurance.

The index slipped 22.76 points to 3,606.86, the lowest close since April 20 last year. It rose 1.9 percent at one point in the morning on upbeat earnings reports from heavyweights Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Bank of China (BOC), and China Life.

The Shenzhen Component Index gained 61.81, or 0.46 percent, to 13,489.09.