China shares rise on recovery signs, vaccines hopes

* SSEC +0.06%, CSI -0.12%, HSI +1.26%

* China Nov PPI -1.5% y/y vs -1.8% poll

* JNJ targets COVID-19 late-stage trial results by January

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Dec 9 (Reuters) - China stocks edged higher on Wednesday as data showing a slower pace of fall in factory gate prices added to recovery signs in the world's second-largest economy, although concerns over Sino-U.S. relation weighed on the market.

** At the midday break, the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.06% at 3,412.29, also helped by positive COVID-19 vaccine news.

** China's blue-chip CSI300 index was down 0.12%, with its financial sector sub-index higher by 0.57%, the consumer staples sector down 0.37%, the real estate index down 0.35% and the healthcare sub-index

down 0.41%.

** Chinese H-shares listed in Hong Kong rose 1.26% to 10,540.36, while the Hang Seng Index was up 1.26% at 26,636.36, poised for its best daily gain in more than a month.

** The smaller Shenzhen index was down 0.5%, the start-up board ChiNext Composite index was weaker by 0.32% and Shanghai's tech-focused STAR50 index was down 1.2%​.

** China's factory gate prices fell at a slower pace in November, adding to signs that the economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, but consumer prices declined for the first time in over a decade on falling food prices.

** Johnson & Johnson said it could obtain late-stage trial results for a single-dose vaccine in January, earlier than expected.

** Pfizer Inc cleared another hurdle when the U.S. health regulator released documents flagging no new safety or efficacy concerns.

** U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is considering appointing former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg to a high-level ambassadorship, possibly to China, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

** Biden's national security team plans to broadly review sanctions operations at the U.S. Treasury Department, including an evaluation of current programmes, staffing and budgets, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

** Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index

was barely changed, while Japan's Nikkei index

was up 1.27%.

** The yuan was quoted at 6.5275 per U.S. dollar, 0.07% firmer than the previous close of 6.5322.

(Reporting by Zhang Yan in Beijing, Luoyan Liu and Andrew Galbraith in Shanghai)

((zoey.zhang@thomsonreuters.com))