BEIJING -- China's stock index futures closed lower on Tuesday with the contract for December, the most actively traded, down 0.20 percent from the previous trading day to close at 2,391.0 points.

The contract for January 2014 went down 0.19 percent to 2,391.8. The March 2014 contract fell 0.23 percent to close at 2,399.6. The June 2014 contract dipped 0.20 percent to end at 2,405.4.

The stock-index contracts, agreements to buy or sell the Hushen 300 Index at a preset value on an agreed date, are designed to allow investors to bet on and profit from either gains or declines in the market.

The index futures was launched at the China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) and started trading from April 16, 2010. The CFFEX has set the base value for all the four contracts at 3,399 points.