Jan 20 (Reuters) - Nickel prices in China hit a record high on Thursday, supported by dwindling supplies amid strong demand from stainless steel and electric vehicle battery sectors. The most-traded February nickel contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange hit a record high of 175,050 yuan ($27,591.26) a tonne and was up 6.6% at 174,110 yuan by 0250 GMT. Three-month nickel on the London Metal Exchange climbed 1.7% to $23,535 a tonne, after hitting a peak since August 2011. Inventories in Shanghai Futures Exchange warehouses were at 4,711 tonnes, near record lows seen in August 2021. Stocks in LME-registered warehouses have fallen to 94,830 tonnes, its lowest level in more than two years. The premium for the cash over the three-month nickel contract was at $330 a tonne, hovering closer to a near 13-year peak of $495 seen earlier this week. FUNDAMENTALS * LME copper eased 0.1% to $9,830 a tonne, aluminium fell 0.9% to $3,021, lead was down 0.3% at $2,355 and zinc inched up 0.1% to $3,586. Tin gained 1.2% to $43,400, a record high. * ShFE copper rose 1.1% to 70,770 yuan a tonne, aluminium fell 0.9% to 21,285 yuan, zinc climbed 1.3% to 25,080 yuan and lead was 0.6% higher at 15,600 yuan. Tin gained 4.3% to 331,570 yuan a tonne, having earlier hit a record high of 331,960 yuan. * China"s refined copper production in 2021 rose 7.4% year-on-year to 10.49 million tonnes to an annual record high, National Bureau of Statistics data showed on Thursday. read more * MMG"s (1208.HK) Las Bambas copper mine on Wednesday inked a deal with local residents in Peru with increased job offers for locals in a bid to avoid future road blockades that could disrupt operations. * Indonesia, the world"s second biggest producer of tin, has yet to issue any permits to export the metal in 2022 via its ICDX, exchange, an official said on Wednesday, while the country"s other commodities bourse said it was unaware of any delays. * For the top stories in metals and other news, click or MARKETS NEWS * Higher commodity prices were supporting the Canadian and Australian dollars, while a pause in this week"s rally in U.S. Treasury yields meant the dollar also marked time. * Asian share markets broke a five-day slide to edge higher, shrugging off drops in Europe and on Wall Street overnight as China underscored its diverging monetary and economic picture by cutting benchmark mortgage rates. DATA/EVENTS (GMT) 0745 France Business Climate Mfg Jan 1000 EU HICP Final MM, YY Dec 1330 US Initial Jobless Clm Weekly 1330 US Philly Fed Business Indx Jan 1500 US Existing Home Sales Dec ($1 = 6.3444 Chinese yuan)