By Lucy Hornby
BEIJING (Reuters) - As China's mining companies increasingly cross international borders, concerns are growing over their conduct as good global citizens.
Such worries could lead to a set of government-imposed qualifications in a bid to avoid China getting a corporate black eye overseas as it struggles to keep pace with its super-sized economic growth, a senior official with the China Mining Association told Reuters.
Beijing has implored mining executives to "go out" and secure copper, zinc, iron ore and other industrial staples needed to power the growth. Many have answered the call -- investing in mining from Peru to Africa to Siberia.
Chinese groups are scouring the outback in search of Australian mining companies willing to swap equity for cash.
Australia last year picked Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd. (2600.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) from a field of 10 to develop the vast Aurukan bauxite deposits forfeited by rival Alcan Inc. AL.TO.
Analysts say parallels with China's push into Australia can be drawn from the 1980s when Japan, hungry for coal, funded exploration in exchange for part ownership.
Australia's Metals X Ltd. (MLX.AX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), which is developing a nickel mine, is selling a 13 percent stake to metals refiner Jinchuan Group Ltd. for A$32.8 million ($27 million).
But criticism of Chinese projects in Africa and Asia was spotlighting China's safety and environmental record, said Liu. Continued...
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