Chinese stocks rebounded solidly Thursday ahead of the inclusion of A-shares into MSCI indices.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 1.78 percent at 3,095.47 points, and the Shenzhen Component Index closed 1.88 percent higher at 10,295.73 points.

Combined turnover on the two bourses reached 408.5 billion yuan (about 63.78 billion U.S. dollars).

Shanghai saw the strongest daily rise in a month, after the benchmark index hit its lowest level in around a year on the previous trading day.

As the first step of the inclusion, 234 Chinese A-shares will be added to the MSCI China Index and related global and regional composite indexes as of the close of May 31.

The shares will be added at 2.5 percent of their foreign inclusion factor adjusted market capitalization, representing aggregate weights of 1.26 percent and 0.39 percent, respectively, in the MSCI China Index and the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, according to MSCI.

The list consists mostly of bluechip stocks, with the majority of companies in the financial, consumer and medical sectors.

The inclusion will help China's financial market open wider to the world, with inflows of foreign investment expected, analysts said.

Boosted by the inclusion, consumption-related stocks, especially food and beverage shares and liquor makers, led Thursday's rise. Jinzi Ham and Haixin Food rose by the daily limit of 10 percent to 7.99 yuan and 5.56 yuan, respectively.

Kweichow Moutai, China's leading liquor brand, climbed 3.48 percent to 751.13 yuan.

The ChiNext Index, which tracks China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, gained 1.02 percent to close at 1,743.74 points Thursday.