Chinese stocks closed mixed on Thursday morning after the release of major economic data for the first half of the year.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was down 0.36 percent to 2,461.62 points at midday while the Shenzhen Component Index rose 0.67 percent to end at 9,869.04.

China's economy expanded by 11.1 percent year-on-year in the first half of the year, while the inflation rate stood at 2.6 percent over the period, the National Bureau of Statistics said