Pages

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

China cuts rare earths mining permits - Boston.com

BEIJING (AP) â€" China has cut the number of permits for rare earths mining in a new move to tighten controls over the exotic minerals needed to manufacture mobile phones, electric cars and other high-tech goods.

The Ministry of Land and Resources decided to cut the number of mining permits by 40 percent from 113 to 67, China Central Television said Wednesday. The brief report gave no indication how that was expected to affect the amount of rare earths produced.

The announcement comes amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over control of a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. Beijing temporarily suspended rare earths shipments to Japanese buyers the last time tensions over the islands flared in 2010 but there was no indication whether Japan might be affected by the latest change.

Beijing has alarmed global manufacturers by restricting production and exports while it tries to build up its own processing industry to capture profits that flow to U.S., Japanese and European companies that use rare earths to make lightweight magnets, batteries and other products.

China has about 30 percent of world supplies of rare earths but accounts for more than 90 percent of production. Its trading partners say quotas and taxes push up rare earths prices abroad, giving buyers in China an unfair advantage.

The United States, the European Union and Japan challenged Chinese controls in a World Trade Organization complaint in March. Chinese officials say the controls are in line with WTO rules and necessary to conserve dwindling reserves and reduce environmental damage from mining.

Rare earths are 17 minerals used to make goods including hybrid cars, weapons, flat-screen TVs, mobile phones, mercury-vapor lights and camera lenses.

The restrictions are especially sensitive at a time when governments are trying to boost exports to reduce unemployment. The United States and Europe want to increase sales of high-tech goods that include products made with rare earths.

The United States, Canada, Australia and other countries also have rare earths but most mining stopped in the 1990s as lower-cost Chinese ores came on the market.

Chinese officials have expressed hope foreign companies that use rare earths will shift production to China and share technology with local partners.

Last month, Beijing tightened controls on rare earths mining and smelting, announcing minimum production levels for companies. State media said that might result in 20 percent of the country’s production capacity being shut down.

The government also has limited the number of companies permitted to export rare earths.

Beijing’s restrictions have prompted producers to announce plans to reopen or develop mines in California, Canada, India, Russia, Malaysia and elsewhere.end of story marker

© Copyright 2012 Globe Newspaper Company.

BHP Says Pace of China Iron Ore Demand Has Slowed by Half - Bloomberg

BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP), the world’s biggest mining company, said the pace of iron ore demand from China, the biggest importer, has slowed by more than half.

“We’re already seeing the beginning of the end of the first phase of economic development in China,” Alberto Calderon, the Melbourne-based company’s chief commercial officer and manager of its aluminum and nickel business, said today at a conference in Canberra. “The pace of demand of iron ore from China has slowed down by more than half.”

Australia, the world’s biggest iron ore exporter, yesterday cut its price forecasts for this and next year on concern that a slowing economy in China will curb demand growth. BHP last month delayed an estimated $68 billion of projects, including an iron ore port expansion, as commodity prices declined.

“What we have seen in the past ten years is not only a function of massive demand coming from China but the industry not being prepared,” Calderon said. “This won’t be repeated. Margins will still be good but that scarcity pricing we won’t see again, on average.”

BHP rose 0.6 percent to A$34.17 at 3:39 p.m. in Sydney trading, while the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 0.5 percent.

Iron Ore Volatile

Iron ore, used to make steel, fell to its lowest level in almost three years this month, having reached a record $191.90 a metric ton on Feb. 16 last year. Prices have since rebounded 26 percent to trade at $109.60 a ton yesterday. The fall in the iron ore price forced BHP competitor Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (FMG), Australia’s third-biggest exporter, to restructure its debt earlier this week.

“Demand will grow less, although still quite impressively and the producers, in general, are more prepared,” said Calderon. “This doesn’t mean that the boom has ended, but it does mean to expect that prices will grow or even stay at very high levels, you would do it at your own peril.”

Calderon said demand growth for seaborne iron ore will probably be low, or could contract, for a protracted period from the middle of the next decade as more steel scrap is used for new construction in China.

Copper Strong

Copper prices will probably remain high as supply struggles to keep pace with demand, Calderon said. The market needs one new Escondida mine a year to replace mined material and as old mines struggle with falling ore grades, he said. BHP is operator of Chile’s Escondida, the world’s biggest copper mine.

BHP had been due to decide this year on approving the expansion of its Olympic Dam mine, an iron-ore port expansion in Western Australia and a potash project in Canada. The three projects may cost a combined $68 billion to build, according to a May 23 estimate from Deutsche Bank AG.

To contact the reporter on this story: Elisabeth Behrmann in Sydney at ebehrmann1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jason Rogers at jrogers73@bloomberg.net

China's Next Leader Appears Healthy in US Meeting - ABC News

China's future leader appeared energetic in his meeting Wednesday with the U.S. defense secretary, his first appearance with a foreign dignitary since dropping from public view and raising a flurry of questions about his health and turbulence in the succession process.

Vice President Xi Jinping and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta held more than an hour of discussions focusing on U.S.-China military-to-military relations, Pentagon press secretary George Little told reporters.

While Penetta's visit comes at a sensitive time for China and its relations with the U.S. and regional neighbors, his meeting with Xi was closely scrutinized for any clues into the vice presidents prolonged absence, which ended Saturday when he appeared at a low-key event for national science promotion day.

Footage of the meeting shot by state broadcaster CCTV showed a robust looking Xi shaking Penetta's hand, posing for photos and smiling during their conversation. The report made no mention of Xi's absence or any health issues.

In addition to being China's vice president, Xi is also a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission that oversees the 2.3 million-member People's Liberation Army and is due to take over as head of the ruling Communist Party later this year and as president in the spring.

APTOPIX China US Panetta.JPEG

AP

China's Vice President Xi Jinping gestures... View Full Caption
China's Vice President Xi Jinping gestures next to U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, unseen, in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. Panetta met Wednesday with Chinese leader-in-waiting Xi, who just days ago reappeared after a puzzling two-week disappearance. (AP Photo/Larry Downing, Pool) Close

In keeping with its secretive one-party political system, Beijing has offered not a shred of information about why Xi was not seen in public, giving free rein to speculation he had injured his back or suffered a heart attack or stroke. Some had questioned whether he had fallen foul of President Hu Jintao or other top leaders, reflecting continuing uncertainty surrounding the succession and the lingering political fallout from the downfall of charismatic leader Bo Xilai.

China has yet to even announce dates for the congress that will install Xi and other top leaders, an event held every five years that last time began in mid-October. That has led to speculation that the party has yet to agree on the makeup of the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee or even whether to reduce it in size from nine to seven seats.

Other crucial matters also remain up in the air, including what if any political reforms to embark on amid a rapidly slowing economy and growing social unrest. More than ever, finding common ground among the party's various constituencies appears to be a daunting task.

"The delay apparently does suggest anything but a smooth transition of power, namely, the extraordinary difficulty of reaching consensus on the composition of the Politburo, including the standing committee, as well as how to handle factional politics that has never been so acute," said Warren Sun, a China expert at Australia's Monash University.

The party has also yet to announce had it plans to handle the still-popular Bo, whose wife Gu Kailai was convicted last month of murdering a British businessman and whose former police chief and top lieutenant Wang Lijun stood trial this week on charges including illegal bribery and attempting to defect to the U.S.

Bo is widely expected to face an eventual trial, although it isn't known on what charges and he remains under party investigation for unspecified grave violations of discipline. Harsh punishment could spark a backlash from supporters in the party, the military and among the public, while failure to discipline Bo would underscore weakness in the legal system and among the leadership.

Xi is facing "enormous hurdles to establish a highly unified leadership team," Sun said.

China's Next Leader Appears Healthy in US... - ABC News

China's future leader appeared energetic in his meeting Wednesday with the U.S. defense secretary, his first appearance with a foreign dignitary since dropping from public view and raising a flurry of questions about his health and turbulence in the succession process.

Vice President Xi Jinping and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta held more than an hour of discussions focusing on U.S.-China military-to-military relations, Pentagon press secretary George Little told reporters.

While Penetta's visit comes at a sensitive time for China and its relations with the U.S. and regional neighbors, his meeting with Xi was closely scrutinized for any clues into the vice presidents prolonged absence, which ended Saturday when he appeared at a low-key event for national science promotion day.

Footage of the meeting shot by state broadcaster CCTV showed a robust looking Xi shaking Penetta's hand, posing for photos and smiling during their conversation. The report made no mention of Xi's absence or any health issues.

In addition to being China's vice president, Xi is also a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission that oversees the 2.3 million-member People's Liberation Army and is due to take over as head of the ruling Communist Party later this year and as president in the spring.

APTOPIX China US Panetta.JPEG

AP

China's Vice President Xi Jinping gestures... View Full Caption
China's Vice President Xi Jinping gestures next to U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, unseen, in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. Panetta met Wednesday with Chinese leader-in-waiting Xi, who just days ago reappeared after a puzzling two-week disappearance. (AP Photo/Larry Downing, Pool) Close

In keeping with its secretive one-party political system, Beijing has offered not a shred of information about why Xi was not seen in public, giving free rein to speculation he had injured his back or suffered a heart attack or stroke. Some had questioned whether he had fallen foul of President Hu Jintao or other top leaders, reflecting continuing uncertainty surrounding the succession and the lingering political fallout from the downfall of charismatic leader Bo Xilai.

China has yet to even announce dates for the congress that will install Xi and other top leaders, an event held every five years that last time began in mid-October. That has led to speculation that the party has yet to agree on the makeup of the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee or even whether to reduce it in size from nine to seven seats.

Other crucial matters also remain up in the air, including what if any political reforms to embark on amid a rapidly slowing economy and growing social unrest. More than ever, finding common ground among the party's various constituencies appears to be a daunting task.

"The delay apparently does suggest anything but a smooth transition of power, namely, the extraordinary difficulty of reaching consensus on the composition of the Politburo, including the standing committee, as well as how to handle factional politics that has never been so acute," said Warren Sun, a China expert at Australia's Monash University.

The party has also yet to announce had it plans to handle the still-popular Bo, whose wife Gu Kailai was convicted last month of murdering a British businessman and whose former police chief and top lieutenant Wang Lijun stood trial this week on charges including illegal bribery and attempting to defect to the U.S.

Bo is widely expected to face an eventual trial, although it isn't known on what charges and he remains under party investigation for unspecified grave violations of discipline. Harsh punishment could spark a backlash from supporters in the party, the military and among the public, while failure to discipline Bo would underscore weakness in the legal system and among the leadership.

Xi is facing "enormous hurdles to establish a highly unified leadership team," Sun said.

China Stocks Rise First Time in Three Days as Gold Miners Rally - Businessweek

Chinese stocks rose for the first time in three days as speculation the government will take steps to boost the equity market overshadowed concern inflation will hamper the central bank’s ability to ease monetary policy.

Pacific Securities Co. (601099) climbed 1.5 percent, pacing an advance by brokerages, after the Shanghai Securities News said regulators will push for market reforms. Agricultural Bank of China Ltd., the nation’s third-largest lender, led declines by banks as swap traders reduced expectations for the scale of interest-rate cuts.

“Some people may take the chance to bargain hunt after recent declines but any gains would be short-lived,” said Wei Wei, an analyst at West China Securities Co. in Shanghai. “Investors are still concerned about the economy as it looks unlikely to improve anytime soon. It also looks less likely that the central bank will have aggressive interest-rate cuts.”

The Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) gained 0.2 percent to 2,063.07 at the 11:30 a.m. local-time break. The CSI 300 Index added 0.2 percent to 2,240.66. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) of Chinese companies traded in Hong Kong rose 1.2 percent. The Bloomberg China-US 55 Index (CH55BN), the measure of the most-traded U.S.-listed Chinese companies, slid 0.9 percent in New York yesterday.

The Shanghai Composite fell 3 percent in the previous two days, the biggest drop since March, on concern tensions with Japan over a territorial dispute will hurt trade. The gauge is valued at 9.4 times estimated earnings, compared with the 17.5 average since Bloomberg began compiling the weekly data in 2006.

Market Reform

Hao Hong, Bocom International Holdings Co.’s managing director for research, said in an interview yesterday that pessimism has largely been priced in.

Pacific Securities added 1.5 percent to 5.61 yuan. Northeast Securities Co. increased 1.4 percent to 15.58 yuan.

China will push for 15 major capital market reforms during the current five-year plan, Shanghai Securities News reported. The reforms include increasing the development of debt markets and stable development of a futures market, the Shanghai Securities News said, citing an unidentified China Securities Regulatory Commission official.

Agricultural Bank dropped 0.4 percent to 2.43 yuan, a third day of losses. China Merchants Bank Co. slid 0.8 percent to 9.91 yuan.

Swap traders have halved expectations for the scale of China’s interest-rate cuts in the coming year as policy makers signal concern that global monetary easing will reignite inflation.

Interest Rates

Swap derivatives reflect bets the People’s Bank of China will lower its one-year deposit rate of 3 percent by 44 basis points, compared with expectations a month ago for a 90 basis point reduction, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The central bank has refrained from acting since July 6, when it reduced by 25 basis points for the second time in a month. The Federal Reserve pledged last week to keep its benchmark rate near zero until at least mid-2015.

China may cut interest rate and reserve ratio one time each this year because weaknesses in the economy still needs monetary help, says BNP Paribas SA analyst Ken Peng in a report dated yesterday. The central bank will tend to “lean towards caution” in the longer run, according to the report.

U.S. quantitative easing will hamper the decision-making ability of authorities in emerging economies and “do serious damage” to the global economy, Zhang Monan, an economic researcher at the State Information Center, wrote in the China Daily newspaper today.

The iShares FTSE China 25 Index Fund (FXI), the biggest Chinese exchange-traded fund in the U.S., retreated 0.6 percent in its second day of declines to $34.52.

Investors started to buy contracts protecting them from future declines in the ETF on “geopolitical concerns and weak” home prices data, Frederic Ruffy, a senior options strategist at WhatsTrading.com, wrote in a note to clients yesterday. Put options (FXI) show investors are betting the ETF may drop as much as 11.7 percent within the next 31 days, he said.

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Weiyi Lim in Singapore at wlim26@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Darren Boey at dboey@bloomberg.net

China steel, iron ore at 1-month top on demand rebound - Reuters

Wed Sep 19, 2012 3:52am EDT

  * Higher China steel prices behind recovery in iron ore      * Steel mills restocking ahead of China holiday      * BHP Billiton: Iron ore prices unlikely to repeat previous  highs     (Adds Bank of Japan, updates rebar price)      By Manolo Serapio Jr      SINGAPORE, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Shanghai rebar futures hit  one-month highs on Wednesday on signs of a pickup in steel  demand in top market China, prompting mills to restock iron ore  and supporting prices of the steelmaking ingredient that fell by  a quarter in August.      Iron ore prices rebounded from their lowest level in almost  three years earlier this month after Beijing's approval of more  than $150 billion in projects to build highways, ports and  airport runways boosted the outlook for steel demand.      The most briskly traded rebar contract for January delivery  on the Shanghai Futures Exchange closed up 1.6 percent  at the session's high of 3,638 yuan ($580) per tonne, its  loftiest since Aug. 17.      The Bank of Japan's move to boost its asset-purchase  program, following similar measures in the United States and  Europe, also boosted sentiment in rebar and other commodity  futures and equities.        Rebar, used in construction, has now gained more than 13  percent since hitting a record low on Sept. 6.      Spot steel prices in China are rising as well, with steel  billet in Tangshan in top steel producing Hebei province  advancing another 60 yuan on Tuesday to 3,180 yuan a tonne,  climbing more than 7 percent in just over a week.      Benchmark iron ore with 62 percent iron content  .IO62-CNI=SI rose 4.3 percent to $109.60 a tonne on Tuesday,  also the highest since Aug. 17, based on data from information  provider Steel Index.       "The rapid increase in steel and iron ore prices is  motivating traders to move into the market and take on cargo,"  said a Hong Kong-based iron ore trader.      "It's all about sentiment. Traders who earlier lost big time  will want to take the opportunity to ride the market."                  RESTOCKING           For a third straight day on Wednesday, price offers for  imported iron ore cargoes in China rose as sellers try to unload  cargoes at better prices after many suffered losses during a  market rout over the past two months.       Price offers for Australian, Brazilian and Indian cargoes  rose another $4-$5 a tonne, traders said.       Chinese mills are also replenishing iron ore inventory  before prices go even higher, ensuring they have enough stocks  ahead of the week-long National Day holiday in China next month,  said a trader in Shanghai.      "I heard some mills are back to buying cargoes on long-term  contracts because current spot prices are quite high," said the  Hong Kong trader.      Prices for long-term contracts are usually based on the  average of spot rates for the current month. Iron ore prices  have averaged about $95 so far this month, after falling to  $86.70 on Sept. 5, the lowest since October 2009.      But some traders are wary about the sustainability of the  upturn in steel prices.      "I haven't really seen any strong increase in real demand  for steel, so I'm not sure whether this rally in steel prices  will last," said another Shanghai trader.       BHP Billiton , the world's biggest miner,  said it does not expect a repeat of the "spectacular imbalance"  between steel supply and demand in China that propelled iron ore  prices to a record high above $190 last year.       BHP last month shelved its planned $20 billion copper and  gold mine Olympic Dam expansion in Australia and put all other  approvals on hold amid escalating development costs, slumping  prices and an uncertain outlook.          Shanghai rebar futures and iron ore indexes at 0738 GMT                                                                                            Contract                          Last    Change   Pct Change    SHFE REBAR JAN3                   3638    +56.00        +1.56    PLATTS 62 PCT INDEX                111     +4.50        +4.23    THE STEEL INDEX 62 PCT INDEX     109.6     +4.50        +4.28    METAL BULLETIN INDEX            110.17     +4.42        +4.18                                                                                            Rebar in yuan/tonne    Index in dollars/tonne, show close for the previous trading day   ($1 = 6.3189 Chinese yuan)     (Editing by Himani Sarkar)   (manolo.serapio@thomsonreuters.com; +65 6870 3884; Reuters  Messaging: manolo.serapio.reuters.com@reuters.net)  

China's Xi calls Japan's "purchase" of Diaoyu Islands "a farce" - Xinhua

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R) meets with U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 19, 2012. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Wednesday said Japan's "purchase" of the Diaoyu Islands was a farce and urged Japan to stop any behaviors that infringe upon China's sovereignty.

"Japan should rein in its behavior and stop any words and acts that undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Xi said in a meeting with visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

Xi's comments followed the Japanese government's announcement of its decision to "purchase" part of the Diaoyu Islands on Sept. 10.

He said Japan's "purchase" openly questioned the legal effects of the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation and intensified the neighbors' territorial disputes.

Related:

Hu states China's stance on Japan ties, Diaoyu Islands

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda here on Sunday and made clear China's position on its relations with Japan and the Diaoyu Islands issue.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the 20th informal economic leaders' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Full story

China's top legislature strongly condemns Japan's "purchase" of Diaoyu Islands

BEIJING, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Foreign Affairs Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislative body, issued a statement here on Tuesday, voicing its strong indignation toward and condemnation of Japan's "purchase" of the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islets.

"This act is another severe infringement upon China's territorial sovereignty, which seriously hurts the feelings of the Chinese people and seriously damages the China-Japan relationship," said the statement.  Full story

"Absolutely no concession" on Diaoyu Islands, says Chinese premier

BEIJING, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Premier Wen Jiabao said Monday the Diaoyu Islands are an inalienable part of China's territory and China will "absolutely make no concession" on issues concerning its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Despite repeated solemn representations of China, the Japanese government announced Monday it would "purchase" part of China's Diaoyu Islands from "private Japanese owners" and bring the islands under "state control." Full story

CPPCC condemns Japan's "nationalization" of Diaoyu Islands

BEIJING, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, on Tuesday voiced strong condemnation of Japan's so-called "nationalization" of the Diaoyu Islands and some of their affiliated islets.

"We strongly urge the Japanese side to immediately stop all actions that undermine China's territorial sovereignty, and stop playing with fire over the Diaoyu Islands " said the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPPCC National Committee in a statement.  Full story

Chinese VP reiterates Diaoyu Islands in meeting

YINCHUAN, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang told visiting Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill on Tuesday that the Japanese government's deal to "purchase" the Diaoyu Islands from the so-called "owner" severely undermines China's territorial sovereignty.

"The Chinese side has lodged solemn representations and strong protest to the Japanese government," Li said as he met with O'Neill in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. O'Neill was here to attend the China (Ningxia) International Investment and Trade Fair and the 3rd China-Arab States Economic and Trade Forum.  Full story

Full text of Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China

BEIJING, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Following is the full text of the Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China issued on Monday.

Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China

10 September 2012

Regardless of repeated strong representations of the Chinese side, the Japanese government announced on 10 September 2012 the "purchase" of the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated Nan Xiaodao and Bei Xiaodao and the implementation of the so-called nationalization" of the islands. This constitutes a gross violation of China's sovereignty over its own territory and is highly offensive to the 1.3 billion Chinese people. It seriously tramples on historical facts and international jurisprudence. The Chinese government and people express firm opposition to and strong protest against the Japanese move. Full story