2nd UPDATE: China's Hanlong Bids A$1.44 Billion For Sundance Resources

Chinese conglomerate Sichuan Hanlong Group has offered 1.44 billion Australia dollars (US$1.52 billion) for Central Africa-focused iron ore developer Sundance Resources Ltd. (SDL.AU) but may have to raise its offer amid growing competition for Australian resources companies.

Sundance chairman George Jones said that the bid may have to be increased "if they want to be successful" and added that he thought the offer, made Friday night, may have been made to trump other development partners currently in talks with Sundance. Hanlong will want top avoid a costly bidding for miner in which it already holds an 18.6% stake.

The 50 Australian cents-per-share offer early Monday sparked a 29% jump in Sundance shares in Sydney to as high at 51.5 Australian cents, as investors bet that Hanlong would be forced to come out with a higher offer or by trumped by a rival.

The move from Hanlong emphasises a shift by foreign groups away from direct investment in Australia mines in preference for companies with assets offshore. Australia's opaque foreign investment approval process, rising cost pressures, and the introduction of new mining and carbon taxes over the past 18 months has been blamed for deterring overseas investment. In recent months, Minmetals Resources Ltd. (1208.HK), Xstrata PLC (XTA.LN) and Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX) have all made takeover offers for Australian-listed miners with assets primarily overseas.

Sundance hopes to produce 35 million tons a year of iron ore from its Mbalam project on the borders of Cameroon and the Republic of Congo, with construction of a 510 kilometer railway and port costing $7.79 billion and due to start before the end of this year. Sundance's plan has been to keep ownership of Mbalam while bringing in funding and development partners from China. The company took several parties on a tour of the operations to finalise due diligence last month and is involved in commercial negotiations with a shortlist of partners, it said in a 29 June update.

"With Australian projects facing headwinds in recent times, we believe West Africa presents investors with a new and attractive landscape to invest in iron ore projects," Foster Stockbroking said in a note.

The company has not named any of its development partners, although it signed memoranda of understanding with units of China Railway Construction Corp. Ltd. (1186.HK) and China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. (1800.HK) over development work late last year.

Clive Donner, managing director of LinQ, a top-five external investor in the company, said that he would reserve judgement on the offer but considered Mbalam a prize worth paying for.

"While it's at a premium to the market, this is a very attractive suite of assets. 35 million tons a year of production is a fairly sizeable and attractive proposition and it's very hard to find quality, well-endowed assets like this," he said.

The offer came at a 25% premium to Sundance's last close and 40% to its average over the past month, but the company's shares have traded as high as 62 cents in early January and peaked at 84 cents late in 2007.

Hanlong is a little-known privately-owned group with interests in infrastructure and resources, mostly in China's southwestern Sichuan province.

The company last year took control of Australian molybdenum developer Moly Mines Ltd. (MOL.AU) and announced plans to become a "fourth force" in Australian iron ore mining, to rival Rio Tinto PLC (RIO), BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (FMG.AU). Last week it also unveiled a A$143 million bid for Namibia-focused uranium developer Bannerman Resources Ltd. (BMN.AU).

A spokeswoman for Hanlong said that the company already has a good working relationship with Sundance's board and was counting on its relationships with China's three policy banks to fund its investment. The company already has US$1.5 billion in financing arranged with Bank of China.

Sundance told shareholders to take no action and said the terms of Hanlong's offer "do not provide adequate value or certainty" to investors.

-By David Fickling, Dow Jones Newswires; +61 2 8272 4689; david.fickling@dowjones.com

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