Index shows 5th straight monthly gain

China's benchmark stock index rose, completing a fifth monthly gain, as raw-material producers and shipping companies climbed on higher commodity prices and increased transportation rates.

PetroChina Co advanced 4.4 percent to a nine-month high and China Petroleum & Chemical Co added 2.4 percent. China Cosco Holdings Co, the world's largest operator of dry-bulk ships, climbed 4.6 percent after the Baltic Dry Index rose for a 17th day in London.

"Ample liquidity and optimism about economic recovery have contributed to the monthly rally," said Wang Peng, Shanghai-based chief investment officer at First Trust Fund Management Co. "The gains may not last if we fail to see more good economic and corporate data."