Chinalco, the Chinese aluminium group, has no plans to sell down its shares in Rio Tinto, viewing the mining house as a key strategic partner as Chinalco expands overseas.
“We can’t go out to fight alone,” said Chinalco chairman Xiong Weiping, explaining that co-operation with global miners was essential for overseas development. “With Rio being one of the top mining companies in the world, Chinalco can learn a lot from them, including in operational management, asset operation and risk management.”
His remarks on strategic co-operation underline the challenges that Chinese miners face as their expansion plans run into political opposition in resource-rich countries such as Australia.