Rio Tinto CEO: China will still be the largest market, mining mergers and acquisitions need to be based on clear value.

From a macro perspective, factors such as energy transformation and increasing demand for computing power are driving structural changes in global commodity demand. Recently, Joe, CEO of the world's second largest mining company, Rio Tinto Group, emphasized in an interview with the media that the world is evolving rapidly, and a mining company's business is also changing accordingly. Rio Tinto maintains sustainable development, and its "business philosophy" is to continuously provide the materials needed by the world with precise rhythm. In Joe's view, China is at the core of all this. In 2025, the Chinese market contributed nearly 57% of Rio Tinto's combined sales revenue. "For decades, we have closely collaborated with Chinese customers and stakeholders in the value chain. This collaboration has made us a stronger company, not only strengthening the supply chain and improving efficiency, but also helping us gradually move towards low-carbon production," Joe said. Mergers and acquisitions are deeply rooted in Rio Tinto's development history and DNA. "In fact, many of our assets have been acquired through mergers and acquisitions, and we have always been looking for acquisition opportunities." The key is that Rio Tinto will maintain a very cautious attitude towards this, "only implementing mergers and acquisitions when we can clearly see that it will create value for the company."