On March 17, representatives from
China Minmetals Corporation, Chinalco,
China Gold, and other Chinese companies gathered together in Beijing to discuss the issue of
investments in the Australian mining industry with Deloitte Investment Services. A Deloitte official indicated that stock prices of Australian natural resource enterprises have dropped 50 percent compared with their peak value, on the back of a 30 percent depreciation of the Australian dollar. Deloitte stated that the current period of financial crisis offered the best time for Chinese enterprises to invest in the Australian mining industry.