ICBC says not in acquisition talk with Wing Hang

BEIJING/HONG KONG, June 26 (Reuters) - China's ICBC (1398.HK) on Friday denied rumours that the Chinese bank is in talks to buy Hong Kong's Wing Hang Bank (0302.HK).

"No such thing," Yang Kaisheng, president of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (601398.SS), told Reuters.

Shares of Wing Hang rose 9 percent, the biggest gain in nearly three months, on Thursday, driven by the rumours that ICBC may be seeking to purchase Wing Hang Bank, Ming Pao Daily reported on Friday.

The stock surged another 7 percent on Friday on speculation that big Chinese banks, including ICBC, are pursuing the Hong Kong-based commercial bank, brokers said.

CLSA said earlier in a report that Wing Hang Bank is a likely acquisition target among Hong Kong banks. Wing Hang's chairman had said it is open-minded about a stake sale in the bank, it added.

(Reporting by Xie Heng in Beijing and Fion Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Ken Wills)