HONG KONG, Dec 3, 2007 (AFP) - TOM Group, a media company controlled by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, denied on Monday reports that it had made any investment in the hugely popular social networking website, Facebook.

"The company advised that it has not made any investment in Facebook," Tom Group, in which the 79-year-old is a majority shareholder, said in a statement issued to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

"The company further advised that from time to time it explores investment opportunities and other commercial alliances," it said, adding it would disclose any deals that would be required to inform the stock exchange. Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital blog reported that Li, Asia's richest man, has invested 60 million dollars in Facebook with a right to acquire another 60 million dollar stake.

Citing unnamed sources, the report said the deal came through a Facebook investor, who introduced the company to Solina Chau, director of the Li Ka-shing Foundation and a major stockholder in Tom.com.

It also said Li's investment could lead to closer links between the website and Tom.com and that he was making the investment through another entity rather than via his Hong Kong conglomerates - Cheung Kong and Hutchison Whampoa. The two companies hold a total of 37 percent stake in TOM Group.

A spokeswoman for Hutchison Whampoa would not comment on the report. The news has caused a surge in the company's share prices by as much as 50 percent on Monday.

The report came on the heels of a 240-million-dollar investment in Facebook by Microsoft last month in a deal valuing the website at 15 billion dollars.

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