Fortescue stands by China 2009 iron ore target

QINGDAO, China Oct 23 (Reuters) - Australian iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group (FMG.AX) is still positive on China's steel industry and is standing by its plans to ship 50 million tonnes of ore to China in 2009, an executive said on Thursday.

"We are still positive on the Chinese market," FMG's Executive Director Russell Scrimshaw told reporters on the sideline of an industry confenrece in the Chinese port city of Qingdao.

"By the end of September, Fortescue had shipped 8.7 million tonnes of iron ore to China in 53 ships to 27 clients," he told the conference. "The total value of the iron ore was US$640 million." (Reporting by Alfred Cang, writing by Tom Miles; Eediting by Anne Marie Roantree)