Chinese shares closed slightly higher in the morning session Thursday after official data showed an acceleration in price growth, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.02 percent, or 0.37 points, to close at 2,347.9.

The Shenzhen Component Index rose 0.04 percent, or 3.85 points, to finish at 9,561.43.

China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 4.5 percent year-on-year in January, accelerating from 4.1 percent in December and 4.2 percent in November, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Thursday.