Chinese company’s wants mining rights for Perth city

As China scouts for mining rights all over the globe especially Australia, a little known Chinese state-owned company is making a bold and cheeky bid to secure mining rights over the city of Perth, a city ranked by The Economist in 2011 as the ''World's Most Liveable Cities''.

Waterford, Perth-based HD Mining and Investment, a subsidiary of Chinese state-owned group Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, has applied to the Western Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum seeking an exploration license covering 150sq km of the Perth metro area, The West Australian reported over the weekend.

HD Mining's application for mining exploration includes the suburbs of Ascot, Kalamunda and Gosnells, Perth Airport and two national parks that are part of the eastern and south-eastern metropolitan area.

A spokesman for HD Mining, who declined to be named, said the company applied for the license based on historical data that suggested there might be gold deposits in the eastern parts of the city, The West Australian said.

Mines minister Norman Moore had not found this unprecedented Chinese move funny and said that the company's application would be dealt with the most stringent level of assessment a project could face.

Speaking to the paper, Moore said, "Anyone can apply for a mining exploration license but whether they get it or not is another thing."