It’s time for another peek at our exclusive newsletter for Taipan Publishing Group subscribers, Taipan Insider.

I told you on Monday that the Chinalco-Rio Tinto deal was delayed for another 90 days. I think the deal will eventually go through, and that would mean another bump in share prices in the mining industry.

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you an article I wrote for Taipan Insider about China buying up assets and natural resources around the world. From March 5… Enjoy.

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Here’s the hitch…

In January and February, I told you about Rio Tinto’s (RTP:NYSE) search for cold, hard cash. I went into greater detail in the pages of Taipan Insider, our exclusive communique to Taipan Publishing Group’s subscribers.

I thought the most recent deal - the $19.5 billion deal that would give China’s state-owned aluminum company Chinalco, a 50% stake in RTP’s mining assets and $7.2 million in convertible bonds - was done and done.

Not so…

Australia announced it was extending its review of the Rio Tinto/Chinalco deal for a further 90 days.

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Base metals are trending higher today… Copper, Lead, Nickel, Zinc… all green. And each metal is showing signs of bottoming out after nine months of falling prices.

In fact, most base metals have been trading range-bound (meaning practically flat) since the start of 2009. Copper is actually starting to trend higher. Copper is considered an economic canary… When prices fall, economies are in for a slump. When prices rise, economies tend to become stronger.

Why? It all has to do with industrial growth. When economies are strong, they build things like factories, power plants, schools, and other infrastructure. That takes a lot of copper and other base metals.

Which is why, when China announced it could provide another stimulus package - like the $586 billion it issued last year to sustain industrial growth, commodity prices and commodity companies climbed in value.

But just yesterday, China announced it would not boost stimulus spending unless the economy showed it was necessary, and right now, China’s economy seems to be recovering slightly.

Exports are growing again, and China will continue to grow its GDP this year.

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About a month ago, I told you all here that Rio Tinto (RTP:NYSE) was in dire straits… But that was only half the story. The rest I told to the exclusive membership of Taipan Insider. Now, as the mining industry continues to make the news, particularly with China Investment Corp,’s (CIC) announcement that it will focus on natural resource investments - rather than make more investments in the failing sectors of finance and real estate - I want to share the rest with you, because it will lead us up to the current situation.

So here’s your exclusive peek at Taipan Insider…

BHP Billiton (BHP:NYSE) is a leading miner in nearly every metal and mineral in the world, with global operations stretching from Mozambique to Peru… Just look at these statistics:

• 3rd largest copper producer
• 6th largest aluminum producer
• 3rd largest nickel producer
• 4th largest gold producer
• 2nd largest uranium producer
• 2nd largest zinc producer
• 4th largest coal producer

That’s a pretty stacked resume…

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