BEIJING: China stocks ended higher on Wednesday, driven by coal and resource firms, as investors lapped up data that showed factory-gate prices in May saw their fastest annual pace in more than 12 years, implying signs of steady global economic recovery.

At the close, the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.32% at 3,591.40, and the blue-chip CSI300 index was up 0.08%.

Leading the gains, the sub-index tracking energy firms including coal miners rose 3.23% while the resource sector sub-index gained 1.3%.

Its consumer staples sector was up 0.6%, the healthcare sub-index added 0.16%, while the real estate index fell 0.94%.

The smaller Shenzhen index ended up 0.14% and the start-up board ChiNext Composite index was steady.