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Quarrel with Australia: Beijing develops ore mines in Guinea

The steel industry has a large share of China’s rapid growth. The country is the largest importer of iron ore. However, China obtains the raw material primarily from Australia, a country with which the People’s Republic has been in conflict for more than a year. Beijing is now looking primarily to Guinea in West Africa to diversify its sources. But the situation there is difficult. With no quick alternative, Australia and China will have to come to an agreement in the foreseeable future. They just can’t get along without each other.

By
Frank Sieren
Image of Frank Sieren

No other country is as hungry for useful raw material: China buys 75 percent of the world’s iron ore production. Iron ore is used primarily to make steel, which in turn is essential for China’s industrialization. Without iron ore, there is no sustained growth. This is especially true for the defense industry, which puts the steel issue at the top of planners’ agendas in Beijing.

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