HK shares finish flat; CNOOC, Cosco surge

HONG KONG, July 31 (Reuters) - Hong Kong shares finished up just a whisker on Thursday, with a sharp surge in offshore oil producer CNOOC (0883.HK) on higher crude prices mostly offset by losses in refiner Sinopec Corp (0386.HK).

Shares in China's largest shipping firm, China COSCO (1919.HK), soared on a JP Morgan valuation upgrade, and market speculation the company will be included in Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index .HSI.

The Hang Seng Index .HSI unofficialy finished 15.82 points at 22706.42, off the day's high of 22,878.76.

The China Enterprises Index .HSCE fell 0.1 percent dragged down by the 2.2 percent fall on the Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC.

(Reporting by Parvathy Ullatil; Editing by Ken Wills)