Investors look to Kazakhstan, China's resource-full neighbor

摘要

Kazakhstan, already the world's largest uranium producer, is increasingly a target for international minerals investors. But new players need to remain alert, with local advice necessary to negotiate a thicket of local bureaucracy. KAZAKHSTAN'S logistical advantages are obvious. It combines strategic geography, smack-bang between Europe and Asia, with a vast array of resources. The Kazakhstan-China border extends for 1,000 km between their Eastern extremities. The markets of Europe lie to the West, waiting and within reach. China's insatiable hunger for minerals means bordering nations, with their short transport hauls, are being scrutinized closely by investors. Mongolia, another bordering state with big potential, has seen tens of billions of dollars sunk into mining projects. Rio Tinto and Ivanhoe are leading the charge on the immense Oyu Tolgoi copper gold project, while the 6.4 billion tonne Tavan Tolgoi coal deposit is in the sights of most of the world's major miners and trading houses.