Australia's major miners buoyed by China demand despite property crisis

Battle of efficiency emerges as steel demand peaks in Asia's biggest economy

20240223 mines

A self-driving dump truck collects iron ore at Rio Tinto's Gudai-darri mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. © Reuters

SHAUN TURTON, Nikkei staff writer

SYDNEY -- Australia's largest mining companies say steel demand in China remains strong despite a slowdown and property crisis in the world's second-largest economy, with the price of iron ore holding up and delivering earnings largely in line with analysts' expectations.

BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue, the three largest Australian-listed resource companies, released financial results this week, providing a snapshot of the iron ore market. Iron ore made up almost 70% of BHP's and Rio's underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) for their respective reporting periods, and all of Fortescue's.

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