Australian mining giants to increase procurement in China

Australia’s two biggest miners, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, will dramatically increase their procurement activity in China, a reversal of their traditional one-way relationship with the nation.

Both companies have indicated to Chinese suppliers that they expect to increase their buying of mining equipment and other supplies from China. 

BHP's global sourcing chief, Dirk Van de Putte, told a suppliers' conference in Shanghai that the company was likely to double its purchasing rate within China to $6 billion over the next five years.

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