Chinese equities opened lower on Wednesday morning with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index sliding 0.09 percent, or 2.39 points, to open at 2,681.33.

The Shenzhen Component Index lost 1.04 percent, or 110.89 points, to open at 10,503.39.

Sinopec, China's leading oil refiner, gained 2.39 percent to 11.58 yuan (US$1.7) per share at the opening, with PetroChina edging up 1.56 percent to 13.06 yuan per share, as the country raised the prices of gasoline and diesel by 300 yuan a tonne, or about 4 percent, starting from Sept. 2.

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2009)