Citic Pacific surges in Hong Kong while most Asian shares fall

Shares in Asia fell Thursday with Japan's Nikkei Index falling 0.7% to close at 9,804, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index falling 1% to end the day at 22,398. In China, the Shanghai Composite slid 0.1% to 3,173 after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said the recovery from the economic crisis would be "slow and bumpy."

In Hong Kong, state-owned investment company Citic Pacific (CTPCF) surged 9% after disclosing that as much as two-thirds of the iron ore from its Australian operations will be sold to Chinese mills. Citic has invested $4 billion in Australian projects betting on predictions that China's appetite for iron ore will increase as the country continues to embark on major infrastructure and building projects. Some predict that the nation's economy will grow 10.5% this quarter, and a quick scan of the skyline of any Chinese city sprouting with building cranes is a clear sign of that growth. According to Bloomberg, China could use more iron ore than the total amount ever mined in Australia, and it has to come from somewhere.