Launceston — Almost unnoticed, Rio Tinto CE Jean Sebastien Jacques has ushered the Chinese iron ore elephant out of the room. News that Rio has quietly abandoned its long-held view that China’s steel output will rise to 1-billion tonnes a year by 2030 was not exactly hidden by Jacques, but neither was it highlighted when the new boss of the world’s second-largest mining company held an investor briefing last week. What gathered much more attention on the negative side was the scandal over $10.5m in payments to an adviser on the ill-fated Simandou iron ore project in Guinea, which has claimed the jobs of two senior executives. On the plus side of the ledger was Jacques’s commitment to boost free cash flow by $5bn over the next five years, and the stronger outlook for the short term given the strong recent price performance of iron ore and coal. But there can be little doubt that the major news from Rio last week was the long overdue backing away from the view that China’s steel produ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.