“Since 1991, Japanese partners and clients have been a cornerstone of our operations,” said chief executive Tony Wenas. “Our recent collaboration with Sumitomo Corporation focused on a new project in Indonesia. Japan is also a key export market for us and our close ties to the country remain a vital aspect of our business.”

Meeting Indonesia’s rural population needs remains a challenge. PTFI contributes to several corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects focused on scholarship programs, gender equality initiatives, basic and higher education classes and health care. In addition, PTFI’s business model is focused on sustainable practices.

“We want to grow our business and simultaneously work closely with the communities and people located near our operations,” said Wenas. “At our mine in Papua, forty percent of employees are native Papuan and we are constantly hiring more local people. To succeed in the long-term, we need to contribute to the community. One percent of our revenue is reinvested back into CSR activities and community programs.”

“Since our inception the need for innovation and sustainable growth has been fundamental to our success and will continue to impact our growth. Our focus now is to continue expanding our upstream and downstream operations. We are looking forward to beginning construction our new copper-smelting plant in East Java later in 2020.”

www.ptfi.co.id

“As pioneers in HELE technology, Japan is building ultra-supercritical power stations and requires our clean coal in order to operate their plants efficiently,” he said. Whitehaven Coal produces thermal and metallurgical coal through six operating mines in the Gunnedah Basin in the northwestern area of NSW.

One of Whitehaven Coal’s tier-one assets and the company’s largest mine, Maules Creek, was awarded the NSW Minerals Council Mining Operation of the Year in 2016. Eighty percent of the coal mined at Maules Creek is sold to customers in Japan.

“The Japanese market is very important to us and we have strengthened our relationships with our Japanese partners over the years,” said Flynn.

J-Power Resources Co. Ltd., one of Japan’s major power producers, holds a minority stake in Maules Creek and Whitehaven Coal’s other tier-one asset, the Narrabri underground mine.

Whitehaven Coal is proud to receive financing from Japanese banks and today, operates one of the largest Hitachi Construction Machinery fleets in Australia. The importance of Whitehaven’s relationship with Japanese customers, suppliers and government officials was recognized in April when the Whitehaven Coal board held its first overseas board meeting in Tokyo.

“At our recent board meeting in Tokyo, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry informed us that we deliver 45 minutes of electricity to Japan every single day,” said Flynn.

“Japan is taking a leading role in addressing climate change and plans to build up to 30 new ultra-supercritical power plants. This resonates with us and it is our responsibility to continue to deliver high-quality coal and play a role in reducing our global carbon footprint.”

www.whitehavencoal.com.au

EDCF and TRCF are used in copper-clad laminated printed circuit applications in the electronic industry in Southeast Asia, China, Korea and Japan.

“The majority of our customers manufacture high-end consumer electronics such smartphones, laptops and tablets and we deliver our products and solutions from our 50,000 square meter facility in the Philippines”, explains Yamanishi.

With increasing demand for high-end consumer electronics, quality components play a key role in the global technology industry. JX-NMPH supplies high-end copper foil to the market and is seeing strong demand due to the robust high-end consumer electronics industries.

“While we are supplying copper foil to meet produce high-end, world-class product requirements, we also place great importance on safety and environmental awareness as a company” says Yamanishi.

“This is reflected in our corporate mission statement which prioritizes; safety and environment, quality and productivity”.

JX-NMPH adheres to these three priorities in order to successfully deliver high-quality components from the Philippines to rest of the world.

“The relationship between Japan and the Philippines continues to improve and I have had a very pleasurable experience working with local employees”, concludes Yamanishi.

“Through education and training initiatives, we have improved our productivity levels, safety and craftsmanship. We expect JX-NMPH to be in a strong position to better serve our customers and make an even greater contribution to Philippines’ society”.

www.nmm.jx-group.co.jp/english
www.nmm.jx-group.co.jp/english/philippines

“The first recorded European discovery of coal was at Newcastle by convicts on the run from Port Jackson”, says Stephen Galiliee, CEO of New South Wales Minerals Council. “In 1798, the first shipment of coal was exported from Newcastle, New South Wales to India.”

In the 1840s, silver and copper were discovered in South Australia. A decade later, the first of numerous “gold-rushes” started in New South Wales and Victoria, generating populous areas, wealth and the foundations of the affluent states seen today.

Reg Howard-Smith, chief executive of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia, says: “China is extremely important to us as an investor base because we cannot finance all of our projects by ourselves. The industry has always been dependent on foreign investment and China today presents itself as a leading source of capital and a reliable strategic partner for our industry.”

Western Australia’s resources sector employs more than 110,000 people and accounts for 95 per cent of the state’s merchandise export income. The period 2010 to 2011 saw private investment into the state’s resource industry exceed US$50 billion, a quarter of the national total for the same period.

While companies such as gold and iron ore explorer Vector Resources have already secured strategic Chinese partners, there remain countless other companies with the expertise to provide Chinese investors with an entry into the Australian market. Peak Resources, having brought their expertise and exploration capabilities overseas, are now seeking strategic partners and off-take customers in China and other markets in the Far East for their rare earth discovery.

Rare earth elements are critical in the production of components used in industries such as clean technology, advanced electronics, electric cars, wind turbines, glass and ceramics, chemical and consumer products. While China has 50 per cent of the world’s reserves and has produced more than 95 per cent of the world’s rare earth supply, a decrease in production and export has caused prices to rise and alternative suppliers are looking to meet global demand.

With a potentially low-cost, long-term rare earth project located in Tanzania, Peak Resources is currently developing its Ngualla project – the fifth-largest rare earth deposit in the world outside China.

Peak’s vision is to generate shareholder value through the development of its high-grade, low uranium and thorium Ngualla rare earth site. The company recently completed a feasibility study (proof of concept) on a sulphuric acid leaching process that uses proven technology with lower capital and operating costs (leaching refers to the process of extracting minerals from a solid by dissolving them in liquid).

Peak’s process provides significant environmental advantages compared to other leaching methods and is a major step forward in the development of Ngualla into a low-cost, long-term rare earth site.

“Achieving this milestone after only nine months of test work is outstanding,” says Richard Beazley, Peak’s managing director. “This reaffirms Peak’s target of commencing production by early 2016. As we create a sustainable project, we also intend to drive our social responsibility initiatives forward.”

The company has been listed on the Australian Stock Exchange since 2006 and this year also listed on the New York-based OTCQX market. The OTCQX listing allows Peak to develop and expand outside the Australian capital market. By reaching out to North America, Beazley hopes to generate capital and invite institutional investors onto Peak’s share register.

“We are now in a position to engage with strategic partners and off-take customers in China and other markets in the Far East,” says Beazley. “We want to commence discussions regarding long-term product supply and facilitate commercial financing arrangements to deliver the project to production.”

With a number of additional projects in the Lake Victoria Goldfields area of Tanzania and a dedicated exploration office in Mwanza, Peak’s growth strategy looks set to position the company as a leading rare earth producer.

Australian-based mining companies are continuing to benefit from global market demands. Through its continuing efforts, Vector Resources is continuing to discover high-grade gold assets at its various projects. Today, the company is in a strong position to attract significant foreign investment and create a company dedicated to delivering shareholder value.

In recent years, the Perth-based gold and iron ore developer has focused on increasing its suite of quality projects in some of the most successful “gold producing” areas of Western Australia.

Covering more than 2,029 hectares and containing high-grade quartz vein hosted gold mineralisation, Mount Dimer is the company’s flagship project, while Gwendolyn remains the highest priority exploration project. Both projects were added to the company’s portfolio early last year through the acquisition of Golden Iron Resources.

Vector has seven projects within the Southern Cross region and an additional project located within the prolific gold producing region of Leonora.

Exploration efforts have lead to a succession of “high-grade hits” and the company recently secured a significant Chinese-backed investor, Eagle Brilliant Holdings.

With this strategic partnership firmly in place, the company is shifting its Gwendolyn East gold project in Western Australia towards production.

“The Board was extremely pleased, not only to welcome this strategic investment partner’s long-term commitment, but also the opportunity to partner with an experienced company that can take Vector into production,” says Glyn Povey, managing director of Vector Resources.

While the company’s gold exploration assets are attracting a lot of investor attention, Vector is also working alongside Cazaly Resources and Anglo American at Earaheedy Joint Venture, a promising iron ore project.

As Vector continues to acquire and develop highly prospective iron ore and gold resource assets in Australia, Chinese firms are continuing to invest in Australia. The Chinese have played an important role in developing Australia’s mining sector and continue to benefit from strategic investments and successful partnerships.

“The support Australia received from China through their imports of Australian iron ore and other commodities helped Australia to stabilise its economy following the global financial crisis,” Povey says.

“Our track record as a successful resource-driven economy allows us to position ourselves as a safe haven for Chinese investors. Australian companies will continue to pursue strategic Chinese partners for future projects and build on our close business ties to China.”

As the global crisis continues to cause concern, Africa is positioning itself as the continent in which the international investment community can do business. South Africa has a wealth of resources and the required skills to successfully develop its mining sector. Siyanda Resources is positioning itself as an attractive investment opportunity and the company continues to build on its reputation for developing lasting partnerships.

As one of the first two black executives to receive a mine manager’s certificate in South Africa’s gold industry in 1992, Mr. Lindani Mthwa, Executive Chairman of Siyanda Resources understands that mining requires long-term commitment:

‘At Siyanda we understand the mining industry and are fully committed to the development of the company. We are in the process of attracting funds in order to develop our assets. With increased competition as more companies enter the resource sector, mining firms must be more focused and driven – at Siyanda, we are here for the long term’.

Kangwane and Eloff mining coalfields are Siyanda’s current coal projects. Through its employees’ high-level engineering skills and experience in the mining sector, the company has the capacity to manage projects and develop strong partnerships with companies such as De Beers, Total and BHP.

Siyanda Chrome Investments, a subsidiary of Siyanda Resources, has a shareholding in Masa Chrome Company, a joint venture with Anglo Platinum which produces chrome for the export market.

‘With the right partner, now is the time to invest in South Africa,’ says Mthwa. ‘We encourage the rest of the world to look at the economic opportunities this country offers and work with us to move South Africa forward. It is our time, and the youth of South Africa understand that we need to develop the country for the benefit of future generations’.

With a flexible approach to doing business, the ability to understand South African legislative dynamics and a track record of successfully meeting production targets, Siyanda Resources’ future looks bright.

Mthwa: ‘As a company, we will continually operate in a responsible, yet highly ambitious manner, to become a globally competitive resources company. We are focused on consistently increasing shareholder value through well researched investments, our ability to effectively operate strategic assets and by developing our network of reliable partners’.

Greenhill; ‘Our message to China is that we are open for business and that working with South Africa will create mutual benefits for both South Africans and our Chinese partners’.