Word: copper
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...could give China more influence over the price. During the boom years, when Chinese companies' appetite for virtually every metal was voracious, they got stuck with stiff price increases. The deal could give Chinalco, which already owns 9.3% of Rio, better access to the company's choicest deposits of copper, iron ore and bauxite. The secretary-general of China's Iron and Steel Association, Shan Shanghua, has already hinted that Chinese buyers could have some additional clout. This rankles some of Rio's major shareholders. "It's up to Rio to convince us that this does not transfer key pricing...
These were expensive lessons, but Beijing has decided that Going Out is still a better economic strategy than staying home. Despite China's slowing economy, officials see the global recession as a prime opportunity to cheaply acquire strategically important raw materials such as iron ore, copper, oil and gas--commodities China will need in vast quantities in the long run. In the past two months, Chinese companies have sought to buy assets abroad at an unprecedented pace. Aluminum Corp. of China (Chinalco) has announced plans to invest $19.5 billion in Rio Tinto, one of the world's largest mining companies...
China's huge appetite is making some foreign governments nervous. Australia blocked the Minmetals deal with Oz, citing national security, forcing the Chinese firm to revise the offer to exclude a valuable gold and copper mine. And Libya exercised its option to buy Venerex Energy, a producer based in Calgary, Canada, whose biggest asset is an oil and gas field 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Tripoli. That thwarted a $390 million bid that China National Petroleum Corp. had made to acquire Venerex. Beijing hasn't done itself any favors either. It blocked--on antitrust grounds that analysts considered flimsy...
Considering how far mineral prices have fallen, some analysts believe Chinalco might actually be paying a premium for Rio Tinto assets. But BOC International's Xu says, "The price is much, much lower for the assets--particularly iron ore and copper--than it would have been just six months ago. This seems like a pretty good deal." And as long as commodity prices are depressed, Chinese companies will be Going Out, cash in hand, ready...
...cleverly converted a former cashiers' hall into a light and airy ballroom that features the original 19th century glazed roof. Underground, they created a luxurious spa by transforming the bank's jewel vault into a spectacularly lit 66-ft. (20 m) swimming pool and recasting a massive steel-and-copper money vault as a manicure parlor. (See 10 things to do in Rome...