BHP CEO says China to buy stake in firm one day

By Eric Onstad

LONON (Reuters) - Chinese investors are certain eventually to buy a stake in mining group BHP Billiton (BLT.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (BHP.AX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Chief Executive Marius Kloppers said on Wednesday.

"Various parts of China that have got surplus funds, capital to deploy, are deploying that across a wide range of things in the world," he told a investor briefing.

"I have no doubt that one day we will see them show up on our register. I just hope that the market takes that for what it is at that point in time, a genuine investor."

He declined to comment on rumors that Chinese investors were ready to buy a stake in the firm, the world's largest mining group.

In February, Chinese state-owned mining group Chinalco shook up the mining sector by making a surprise raid on Rio Tinto (RIO.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (RIO.AX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), buying a 9 percent stake for $14 billion.

The purchase at 60 pounds a share, a stiff premium at the time, was widely seen as an effort to complicate BHP's all-share takeover bid for Rio.

China opposes the link-up as giving the combined firm too much pricing power in commodities such as iron ore.

A report in the Australian newspaper last month said China was in the early stages of formulating a plan to buy a chunk of BHP larger than Chinalco's Rio stake.