NEW YORK/BEIJING -- As global competition for the Arctic's rich resources grows, the proposed acquisition of a Canadian mining company by China's Shandong Gold Group has emerged as a flashpoint in the countries' deteriorating ties.
"We plan to become one of the world's top five producers of gold by 2025," Shandong Gold Chairman Chen Yumin said in August as he signed a strategic partnership with Bank of China. The deal provided the mining giant with a 30 billion yuan ($4.44 billion) credit line to help finance overseas acquisitions.
