China’s Growth and Its Impact on Resource Demand and The Iron Ore Trade

The paper sets out what has been driving Chinese demand for resources and outlines the main features of the growth of Chinese resource consumption. It explains the impact of Chinese growth on the Australian economy and examines the future of Chinese resource demand. It reviews the potential to supply Chinese resource (and in particular, iron ore) demand and looks at some policy questions that confront China, as a major resource-procuring economy seeking resource security through foreign investment, and resource-supplying countries, such as Australia, in the context of the growth of Chinese demand. The paper argues that increased supply capacity in Africa and elsewhere in the world is likely to put downward pressure on iron ore (and potentially other resource) prices as new projects come on stream over the next five years.