Many economists are proclaiming 2010 to be the year that the world officially makes it out of the global recession.
By most accounts, 2009 was a calamitous time for international business activity: global trade volume plummeted 9%, the largest contraction since the Second World War; global foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by about 30%; and primary commodity prices remained highly volatile.
However, two success stories can be found in industrials minerals and China, a market and a country which are noteworthy for their levels of resilience in the face of the economic deterioration across the globe.
While China is the third most mineral-abundant country in the world, with 12% of world’s mineral resources, it is presently a net importer of many essential industrial minerals.
2010 is the year of the Tiger in the Chinese calendar, which is apposite as both Chinese and foreign investors who act on the...