China growth, Europe hopes boost Asian shares

HONG KONG (AFP) - Asian markets climbed on Thursday as dealers welcomed news China's economy grew in line with forecasts, while confidence was also lifted by more upbeat US data and hopes for the eurozone.

Soothing comments on the economy from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday also provided support, while dealers looked ahead to a European Union summit set to begin later in the day.

Hong Kong added 0.61 per cent and Shanghai rose 1.00 per cent, while Tokyo climbed 1.66 per cent by the break, Sydney was 1.11 per cent higher and Seoul advanced 0.21 per cent.

China said its economy grew 7.4 per cent in the third quarter to the end of September, easing for a seventh straight quarter and underscoring its weakest performance since the global financial crisis.