Why is mining giant Rio Tinto pushing ahead on a nearly impossible project? Possibly because China wants it done.
On a Friday morning in April this year, Simon Thompson, the outgoing global chair of the mining giant Rio Tinto, addressed the company’s shareholders in London for the last time. Thompson, who chose not to stand for re-election after Rio Tinto destroyed an ancient Aboriginal site in Western Australia in 2020, spoke with the somber optimism of a leader emerging from scandal and vowing to do better.
But amidst talk of “transition,” “rebuilding” and “strengthening,” ThompsonR
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
What is so hard about making chips in America? And can the U.S. do anything about it? As part of his series, 'Remaking the Chain,' Luke Patey went searching for answers from America's past and from the last country to threaten its mantle as the world’s leading economy.
The political scientist and sinologist talks about the early days of the pandemic in Wuhan, and how the Chinese authorities’ lack of transparency led the virus to spread rapidly.
Navigate China's Business Landscape with Confidence.