Namibia Wouldn’t Block Rio, China Partnership, Official Says
February 08, 2012, 8:26 AM ESTBy Jana Marais
Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Namibia wouldn’t seek to block any partnership between Rio Tinto Group and a Chinese company, an official from the African country’s government said.
“We don’t interfere in private company dealings,” said Abraham Iilende, deputy director of mines at the department of mines and energy. “If Rio and the Chinese go into partnership, we will support it.”
The government’s role is regulatory and no such reasons for blocking a Rio Tinto tie-up with a Chinese partner are foreseen, Iilende said at a conference in Cape Town.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jana Marais in Johannesburg at jmarais@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: John Viljoen at jviljoen@bloomberg.net
