4th March 09

The Australian

China will soon lift demand for commodities, says ABARE

This week The Australian revealed the extent of the iron ore stockpiles building up at Chinese ports as the nation's steel mills cope with a slowing economy. But throughout the current downturn, Australian export volumes are expected to rise to meet developing nations' continued demand for steel production.

The International Herald Tribune

Communist party elders criticize China's stimulus plan

As China's government doles out $586 billion to stimulate its ailing economy, critics inside and outside the Communist Party have pressed for details about the secretive spending plan and demanded the right to follow the money. "We very much endorse the central government investment of 4 trillion yuan" — $586 billion — "to invigorate the economy," they explained in the letter, dated Jan. 20, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. "At the same time, we are extremely worried that the privileged and the corrupt will seize this opportunity to fatten themselves, damage the relationship between the party and the people, and intensify social conflict."

Asia Times Online

Asia's miners line up for Outback
By Alan Boyd

SYDNEY - Asian mining firms are closely watching developments related to the US$19.5 billion bid by Chinese aluminum giant Chinalco for a stake in multinational Rio Tinto, amid a developing buying blitz on Australia's cheap resources stocks. "You have a weak Australian dollar, very low price/earning ratios of resource stocks and a lot of cashed-up Asian firms that are underwritten - in some cases at least - by official reserves," said one lawyer involved in acquisition talks. "[But] it counts for nought if the [Australian] regulators start talking tough."

NORTH KOREA AIMS HIGH, Part 1
Beijing frets over Pyongyang's launch
By Peter J Brown

As the world watches and the leaders of North Korea look to the sky and relish their satellite dreams, the United States, South Korea and Japan are watching their radar screens and scrambling their ballistic missile defense (BMD) forces.