European shares edge higher as China gains

* FTSEurofirst 300 rises 0.1 percent

* Miners gain on higher metals prices

* Traders await ECB rate decision

* For the latest stocks news, click on [STXNEWS/EU]

By Brian Gorman

LONDON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - European shares edged higher in early trade on Thursday after China's stock market bounced and ahead of the European Central Bank's decision on interest rates.

At 0834 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top European shares was up 0.1 percent at 951.27 points, having moved in and out of positive territory. This came after three days of losses. The benchmark index is up more than 47 percent from the record low it hit in March, and the banking sector index <.SX7P> is up more than 154 percent in that time.

Miners rose as copper prices edged up. Anglo American , Antofagasta , BHP Billiton , Rio Tinto and Xstrata rose between 1.1 and 2.6 percent.

"The market is wondering whether it has run ahead of itself," said Bernard McAlinden, investment strategist at NCB Stockbrokers, in Dublin.

Banks, heavy fallers in recent days, were mostly higher.

BNP Paribas , Banco Santander and Deutsche Bank were up between 1 and 1.4 percent.

Across Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 <.FTSE> was flat, Germany's DAX <.GDAXI> and France's CAC-40 <.FCHI> were both up 0.2 percent.

China's key stock index, the Shanghai Composite Index <.SSEC>, rose 4.8 percent on Thursday, after a top regulator assured investors that the country's market was healthy, sparking hopes of government policy support and technically driven buying after the market's recent slump. [ID:nBJD002993]

Futures for the Dow Jones , S&P 500 and Nasdaq were up between 0.3 and 0.4 percent.

FORTIS GAINS

Among individual stocks, Fortis rose 4.5 percent after JPMorgan raised its price target for the Belgian insurance group to 4 euros, from 3.3, retaining its "overweight" rating.

BASF fell 2.5 percent, after Nomura downgraded its stance on the chemicals giant to "reduce" from "neutral.

French spirits group Pernod Ricard fell 1.9 percent after it predicted a tough year as the drinks market stagnates and said it would focus on disposals and generating cash to reduce its debt pile.

The world's second-largest spirits group behind Diageo posted a 21 percent rise in recurring operating profit for the year to June 30. [ID:nL3320454]

BP fell 1 percent following a gain of 4.3 percent on Wednesday, when it announced a major oil find in the Gulf of Mexico.

In macroeconomic news, the euro zone services economy jumped back almost to recovery in August, with Germany powering back to growth and France just an inch away too, a survey showed on Thursday. [ID:nLAG003715]

The ECB is expected to announce at 1145 GMT that it is keeping its key interest rate at 1 percent.

Investors will also watch for the services sector PMI and weekly jobless numbers in the United States, due later.

McAlinden said he was "not expecting much" to come from the ECB but the U.S. services PMI might move the market. (Editing by Hans Peters)