CORRECT: Chinalco Talking To Rio Tinto On Mongolia Copper, Gold Project
March 23 2010 - 3:22AM
Dow Jones News
Aluminum Corp. of China, or Chinalco, seeks to develop more
global strategic partnerships in the mining sector, and is
currently in talks with Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto Ltd. (RTP)
about the joint development of a massive copper and gold mine in
Mongolia, Executive Director Liu Xiangmin said Tuesday.
"Chinese enterprises cooperating overseas in resources and
energy are an integral part of mining globalization," he said on
the sidelines of a mining conference.
Liu's comments followed by one day comments made by Rio Tinto
Chief Executive Tom Albanese, who expressed regret over a lost
opportunity to deepen ties with Chinalco last year and optimism
over a joint development deal with the Chinese company to develop
an iron ore mine in Guinea.
The recent deals between Rio Tinto and Chinalco highlight
warming ties between the two mining giants in the wake of
Chinalco's failed $19.5 billion bid for equity in the
Anglo-Australian miner last February and the arrest in China later
last year of Rio Tinto executives on bribery and other charges. The
current round of warming is playing out even as Rio Tinto employees
go on trial in a Shanghai court.
With a $15.5 billion investment for around a 9% stake, Chinalco
is already the single biggest shareholder in Rio Tinto, which owns
a 22.4% stake in Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (IVN.T), the Canadian company
that is developing the Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold project in
Mongolia.
Rio's Albanese, speaking at the China Development Forum in
Beijing, offered to share expertise in future projects to help
China mine domestic mineral resources.
Liu said Tuesday that the exit of speculative capital and
inflation expectations are expected to affect mining operations
worldwide--and this could lead to short-term price
fluctuations.
However, Chinalco, which currently has daily mining capacity of
100,000 metric tons, is seeking to raise this to 250,000 tons.
Liu--vice president at Chinalco's listed unit, Aluminum Corp. of
China Ltd. (ACH), or Chalco--didn't specify the timeframe over
which this expansion will be achieved.
China is Rio Tinto's largest iron ore buyer. Meanwhile, China
has provided Rio Tinto with important products, including rail cars
to transport iron ore from mines to ports, Albanese said
Monday.
Rio Tinto intends to spend US$400 million on similar ore car
purchases from China, he added.
-By Denny Kurien, Dow Jones Newswires; +(65) 9272-8562;
denny.kurien@dowjones.com
(Helen Sun in Singapore and Chuin-Wei Yap in Beijing contributed
to this article)
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