China's major stock index closes at near 19-month high

BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks closed higher on Tuesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.6 percent at 3,292.64 points, the highest in nearly 19 months.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.19 percent higher at 10,525.35 points. The ChiNext Index, which tracks China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, gained 0.27 percent to close at 1,741.07 points.