力拓對中國經濟增長持樂觀態度

Rio Tinto optimistic on China growth

By Zheng Xin | China Daily | Updated: 2018-03-30 10:32

A metallurgical engineer at Rio Tinto Group checks the pressure in a vat inside the company"s plant in Melbourne, Australia.[Photo/Agencies]

The nation"s efforts to reduce overcapacity in the steel industry will benefit global mining giant Rio Tinto Group Plc and others, rather than hurt their business interests, according to its CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques.

「The industry is undergoing restructuring in the country but the reduction in capacity does not mean a reduction in production, 」 he said.

「High quality raw materials are still necessary as the move entails a shift to high quality steel and shutting down of the smaller and more polluting blast furnaces while switching to the newest, largest blast furnaces, 」 he added.

China has been witnessing massive overcapacity in its iron and steel sector and has vowed to reduce capacity. It plans to eliminate 100 million tons to 150 million tons of crude steel capacity in the five years from 2016. In 2017 alone, the country slashed its crude steel production capacity by more than 50 million tons, exceeding its annual target, as part of efforts to improve the competitiveness of the bloated sector.

The country also phased out the production of 140 million tons of low-quality steel made from scrap metal last year.

The industry"s profitability has substantially improved, with major steel producers" profits surging 613.6 percent, according to data from the China Iron and Steel Association.

According to Jacques, Rio Tinto is well-positioned to provide the right product with the right quality to the right customers.

On the other hand, eyeing the rapid development of electric vehicles and batteries, Rio Tinto said the company would focus more on metals like copper and aluminum.

Jean-Sebastien Jacques, CEO of Rio Tinto Group Plc

"As China shifts from fast speed development to high quality development, industries like electric cars will also drive up demand for copper and aluminum, and we believe such commodity demand will rise in the future as new energy vehicles will be prevalent on China"s streets in seven to 10 years. As a multinational corporation, we aim to provide high quality products to meet the demand," he said.

Jacques, head of the world"s second-biggest mining company, said China has been the company"s biggest customer and Rio Tinto generates more than 44 percent of its global revenue from the country, supplying lots of products including copper and iron ore for steel, and bauxite for aluminum and diamonds.

Jacques said the mining group welcomes the Belt and Road Initiative, which would lead to infrastructure improvements and drive up demand including copper and aluminum, while providing a boost for companies in related sectors.

"Infrastructure is fundamental to global growth," he said adding that, "It underpins communities and builds nations. China has shown the world what can be achieved."

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力拓對中國經濟增長持樂觀態度

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該公司首席執行官讓-塞巴斯蒂安?雅克表示，中國為減少鋼鐵行業產能過剩所做的努力，將使全球礦業巨頭力拓集團和其他公司受益，而不是損害它們的商業利益。他表示，該行業正在中國進行重組，但產能的減少並不意味著產量下降。他補充說，高質量的原材料仍然是必要的，因為這需要轉向高質量的鋼材，並關閉更小、污染更大的高爐，同時轉向最新的最大的高爐。

中國一直在見證鋼鐵行業產能嚴重過剩，並誓言要減少產能。該公司計劃從2016年起，在5年內淘汰1億噸至1.5億噸的粗鋼產能。僅在2017年，中國就將其粗鋼產能削減了5000多萬噸，超過了年度目標，這是提高臃腫部門競爭力的努力的一部分。去年，中國還淘汰了由廢金屬製造的1.4億噸劣質鋼材。中國鋼鐵工業協會的數據顯示，該行業的盈利能力已大幅提高，主要鋼鐵生產商的利潤增長了613.6%。根據雅克的說法，力拓在向正確的客戶提供正確的產品方面處於有利地位。另一方面，考慮到電動車和電池的快速發展，力拓表示，該公司將把更多的精力放在銅和鋁等金屬上。

隨著中國從高速發展轉向高質量的發展，電動汽車等行業也將推高對銅和鋁的需求。我們相信，隨著新能源汽車在中國的大街小巷將在7至10年內普及，這種大宗商品需求將會上升。作為一家跨國公司，我們的目標是提供高質量的產品以滿足需求。」他說。

作為全球第二大礦業公司的負責人，雅克表示，中國是該公司最大的客戶，而力拓的全球收入中，超過44%來自中國。該公司供應的產品包括銅和鐵礦石，以及鋁和鑽石的鋁土礦。

雅克表示，礦業集團歡迎「一帶一路」倡議，這將帶來基礎設施的改善，並推高銅和鋁等需求，同時為相關行業的企業提供提振。

「基礎設施是全球增長的基礎，」他補充說，「它支撐著社區和建設國家。中國向世界展示了可以實現的目標。」

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