“La Argentina y China reafirman integración minera,” published in “El inversor energético & minero – Newsletter diario” (City of Buenos Aires) on 12/16/2010

Within the integration that Argentina and China are going through, due to the initiative of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and President Hu Jintao, the geological mining organisms of both countries ratified, their bi-national mining cooperation program for another three years on December 15, 2010. The agreement has the objective to continue developing joint activities in the field of geosciences and encouraging the trade of investigators and knowledge, as well as promoting investments in exploration and development of mining projects and encouraging the commerce of minerals and by-products between both countries. The official meeting for the restatement of the agreement led to the 5th work meeting between both organisms in the last 11 months, added to those joint activities developed for the organization of the Mining Investment Seminars that took place in China. It should be mentioned that the result of deepening the bilateral relationship in mining commercial matters has been materialized due to the signing of investment and trade agreements. Recently, the largest gold mining operator in China, Shandong Gold, announced that it will invest in mining exploration in the Province of La Rioja, as a consequence of the agreement signed in Tiajin during the last official visit to that country. In the same way, the investment made by China’s mining company MCC should be mentioned, reactivating after 20 years of paralysis, the emblematic iron project Sierra Grande in the Province of Río Negro, that realized its first exportation of 60 thousand tons of iron form Argentina to China, some days ago.