Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Medical and Hospital News .




TRADE WARS
Australian tycoon's tirade against Chinese firm
by Staff Writers
Sydney (AFP) Feb 07, 2014


Outspoken resources tycoon Clive Palmer condemned the "rape and disrespect" of Australia by foreign firms Friday in a spat with a Chinese miner that warned the case was being watched closely in Asia.

Palmer is locked in a long-running dispute over royalties and port operations with Hong Kong-based Citic Pacific over its Sino Iron magnetite project, a partnership with China's state-owned Metallurgical Group Corporation.

Citic is mining for magnetite iron ore on Palmer's sprawling Australian Mardie Station cattle farm under a 25-year lease.

But the two parties have clashed over what share of the proceeds are owed to the Australian businessman and whether his company, Mineralogy, is the legal operator of the project's export terminal at Port Preston.

Palmer lashed out at Citic after a court ruling on Thursday in his favour on the port, accusing the Chinese of having "occupied the port and shipped Australian resources to China without paying full consideration".

"Sino Iron and Citic Pacific seem to think they can take our resources without paying for them," Palmer said in a statement.

"I will not stand by and see Australian interests raped and disrespected by foreign-owned companies," he added.

Palmer said he felt "compelled to warn all Australian companies to be careful when using a foreign partner.

"This doesn't mean that all Chinese companies act in this manner. It just means Citic Pacific is trying to corrupt our system," he added.

He later said Australians "admire the Chinese people for their achievements in science, space and in industry".

"They are courageous and have shown bravery in the Second World War as they fought with Australia against our common foe. We wish them no ill at all.

"All Mineralogy seeks is a friendly co-operative approach to supply long-term iron ore to China for the mutual benefit of the Chinese and Australian people," he added.

Citic Pacific's president Zhang Jijing warned that the case could have broader implications for Chinese business in Australia and dismissed claims his company had not paid its fair share of royalties as "rubbish".

"Most other Chinese companies are watching our legal case... This is very important," Zhang said at a Melbourne mining function, according to The Australian Financial Review.

Zhang said Citic had hoped to resolve the dispute with Palmer privately.

"It's fair to say though that there are some larger-than-life characters involved here and perhaps this was an unrealistic expectation," he said.

"I have never met such a person like this gentleman."

The flamboyant self-made mining baron, renowned for rebuilding a replica of the Titanic and who was elected to Australia's parliament last year, said the Chinese firm "want(s) to take our resources back to China without paying for them".

"In our opinion this is tantamount to stealing, and most Australians would be in agreement," he said.

Zhang said Citic had complied with the law and "welcome the intervention and protection of the Australian judicial system when necessary".

.


Related Links
Global Trade News






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








TRADE WARS
Panama Canal expansion work seen to be at risk after row
Panama City (UPI) Feb 5, 2013
Work on a multibillion expansion of Panama Canal is at risk from a dispute pitting the building consortium against Panama authorities over the sharing of $1.6 billion cost overruns. At least two versions of the waterway's expansion prospects dominated headlines Wednesday. Officials from the Panama Canal Authority said talks with the GUPC consortium, led by Spanish interests, weren't get ... read more


TRADE WARS
Fire erupts at US nuclear waste plant

Repairs may mean darker hue for Rio's iconic Christ statue

Prisoners again bolt typhoon-damaged Philippine jail

One in 4 Japan tsunami children needs psychiatric care

TRADE WARS
Lockheed Martin Powers On Second GPS 3 Satellite In Production

India to launch three navigation satellites this year

NGC Wins Contract For GPS-Challenged Navigation and Geo-Registration Solution

20th Anniversary of Initial Operational Capability of the GPS Constellation

TRADE WARS
Experiments show human brain uses one code for space, time, distance

Researchers discover how brain regions work together, or alone

Neanderthal lineages excavated from modern human genomes

When populations collide

TRADE WARS
New maps highlight habitat corridors in the tropics

UN Security Council declares war on ivory poachers, traffickers

Single gene separates queen from workers

Single gene separates queen bee from workers

TRADE WARS
Chinese scientists sound warning over new bird flu

China reports three new H7N9 bird flu deaths

Ugandan army winning hearts, minds and foreskins

Research uncovers historical rise, fall and re-emergence of plague strains

TRADE WARS
Domestic workers come out of the closet in Hong Kong

China dissident's father dies in disputed suicide: rights group

China horses fight in Lunar New Year battles

Chinese Communist Party expels Nanjing mayor

TRADE WARS
French navy arrests pirates suspected of oil tanker attack

Mexican vigilantes accuse army of killing four

Gunmen kill two soldiers in troubled Mexican state

China smugglers dig tunnel into Hong Kong: media

TRADE WARS
China manufacturing index at six-month low: HSBC

Default on $500 mn Chinese investment scheme 'averted'

Billionaire bashed for putting rich-haters on par with Nazis

Major default looms in China's huge 'shadow banking' system




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement