European shares rise, led by commodities

* FTSEurofirst rises 1.2 percent

* Oils, miners add most points to index

* China PMI above 50, lifts basic resources

By Farah Master

LONDON, July 1 (Reuters) - European shares rose at midday on Wednesday, the first day of the third quarter, with commodities gaining after positive Chinese economic data was released.

By 1116 GMT, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of top shares was up 1.2 percent at 859.93 points. The European benchmark rose 15.9 percent in the second quarter, after hitting a lifetime low on March 9.

The second-quarter rally came to a halt in mid-June and the FTSEurofirst has remained range-bound since then. Strategists have pointed to a lack of evidence of economic recovery, relative to the strength of the rally.

"We started the third quarter feeling a little more content that the worst is behind us," said Howard Wheeldon, strategist at BGC Partners in London.

China's manufacturing sector extended its recovery in June, with its official purchasing managers' index consolidating above the watershed mark of 50 for the fourth month in a row. [ID:nPEK138883]

"There is a more positive sense emerging from world economy in the eastern area. There is a lot of hope and anticipation in the West. Yes, we are bottoming, but we are not starting to see a recovery yet so we can't talk about growth until we see a recovery," Wheeldon said.

Crude oil CLc1, boosted by China's economic data and lower U.S. stockpiles, rose 2 percent to more than $71 a barrel.

Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), BP (BP.L) and Total (TOTF.PA) rose between 1.7 and 1.8 percent.

Mining stocks to rise included Antofagasta (ANTO.L), BHP Billiton (BLT.L), Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. (ENRC.L), Kazakhmys (KAZ.L), Lonmin (LMI.L) and Rio Tinto (RIO.L) were up between 3 and 5 percent.

Vedanta Resources (VED.L) rose 8.8 percent after announcing a buyback programme. [ID:nWLA8031]

China's state-owned Chinalco is likely to participate in Rio's $15.2 billion rights offer, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters. [ID:nSYD518726]