Chinese shares close higher Friday

BEIJING -- Chinese stocks closed higher on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 2.91 percent to 3,261.56 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 4.71 percent higher at 10,357.68 points.

The combined turnover of the Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses reached around 2.1 trillion yuan ($294.31 billion), up from 1.49 trillion yuan recorded on the previous trading day.

Over 5,100 stocks ended higher, with those related to semiconductors and brokerages leading the gains.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, gained 7.95 percent to close at 2,195.10 points Friday.