Chapter 210: International Media Coverage
When Niu Fu received Wu Yan's call informing him that Mr. Gores was now available and had accepted his dinner invitation, he was slightly surprised.
Wasn't this matter already buried days ago?
But after thinking it through, the logic behind it quickly became clear.
He gave Li Tang a call, and it confirmed his suspicion: Gores and others from BHP had indeed tried to talk to Li Tang about the Taluge Copper-Gold Project—but were rebuffed. That's why they turned to him instead.
As the head of Wukuang Group, whose trade subsidiary maintains close ties with BHP, Niu couldn't reject such overtures as bluntly as Li Tang had.
So, he didn't refuse Wu Yan's dinner proposal outright—he just delayed the meeting to give himself some breathing room.
"Chairman, Director Niu!"
When Ouping Guo and Zhao Hepu walked into the general manager's office and saw that Lang Heman was also present, they were caught off guard.
"Come in. Let's have a quick meeting."
Niu Fu gestured for them to sit.
Inside the office, a small oval conference table had been set up, and a projection screen had been pulled down. A secretary was adjusting the projector.
When the curtains were drawn and the room dimmed, the screen lit up clearly.
It was showing an American television news program.
Guo and Zhao sat down, puzzled. What was this about?
"Let's watch some international news coverage before we discuss business."
Niu wasn't in a rush and signaled the secretary to start the video.
There were subtitles, so even those whose English wasn't great could understand the content.
On screen was Chris, the Senior Project Development Director at Freeport Copper & Gold. He was being interviewed by a well-known American news station.
"China has officially joined the World Trade Organization. Their companies are entering global markets. Tariffs have been lowered, and cheap Chinese goods are flooding into our markets. Many Western businesses don't see this as a threat—they believe Chinese companies aren't on their level, or that their products will never win public favor. They mock Chinese quality. But I say: never underestimate Chinese enterprises."
"What does China joining the WTO have to do with today's topic?" the reporter asked, clearly surprised by Chris' opening praise. "You're a senior executive at Freeport. What are your thoughts on the discovery of the Taluge Copper-Gold Project in Mengguo?"
"I'm saying China's influence is expanding everywhere. I've been to China. It's still developing, but its people and businesses are full of vitality. The Taluge discovery proves one thing: Chinese companies are stepping onto the world stage."
"Will this affect Freeport?"
"Absolutely. Did you notice? The day after the news broke, copper futures at the London Metal Exchange dropped by 3%! That shows how significant this is. A Chinese company now controls a key resource, and this will have lasting consequences. China is already the world's largest consumer of copper, and the second-largest importer."
"Just because they control a license?"
"Taluge is right next to China's border. It's easy to build a railway. If they start producing 500,000 tons—or even 1 million tons—of copper annually, it could devastate the global market."
"You say 'devastate'? That's a strong word."
"Yes. Chinese firms won't care about sustainable market development. They'll overproduce, flooding the market and crashing copper prices. And I'm skeptical of their mining and environmental standards. Mengguo's regulators must closely monitor the project's environmental plans."
"So in your view, the damage outweighs the value?"
"It's obvious."
"What do you think of BHP selling the Taluge license for $8 million?"
Chris paused for a long time. He tried to keep a straight face but couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Heh… heh heh…"
"You're laughing. What's on your mind?"
"Nothing. I'm just in a good mood. It has nothing to do with BHP. They're a great company—a leader in iron ore, alumina, copper, and nickel. I'm sure they had their reasons."
"You don't have anything else to say about BHP's decision?"
"No. I'm focused on Freeport's business."
"Before we wrap up, we heard your daughter works in China. Is that true?"
"Yes. She works for Highgain Investment. She's only there temporarily. She's a brave and smart young woman."
The interview was long—almost like a documentary. It included footage of mining operations and clips from BHP's executive team.
Halfway through, Niu gestured for the secretary to turn off the projector and open the curtains. The office brightened up instantly.
Everyone's face showed different reactions.
They had all anticipated that international media would cover the story—but not to this degree, and not with this much controversy.
The secretary laid a thick stack of newspapers on the table. Everyone could browse them freely.
Zhao Hepu picked up a copy of the New York Times. The headline was impossible to miss:
"BHP CEO Gores: A Generous Philanthropist of Our Time!"
The entire article mocked Gores for selling the Taluge license—framing it as a charitable donation of billions to "poor China."
The tone seemed to reflect frustration from American investors—the very people behind BHP's boardroom power.
Other newspapers joined the frenzy: The Australian, The Daily Telegraph in the UK, and many more. Nearly every major business outlet had run some version of the story.
Many reports linked the discovery to China's WTO accession, saying the timing amplified its global impact.
The Financial Post in Canada, which first broke the story, had already published interviews with BHP executives, Chinese and Mengguo officials, and dedicated a full-page spread introducing Zhongcheng Mining and its founder, Li Tang.
Beyond mainstream news, mining and financial outlets around the world had jumped on the bandwagon. The conference table was littered with dozens of different publications.
Niu pointed at the pile. "The discovery of Taluge happened to coincide with China joining the WTO, and it's also riding the wave of BHP's mega-merger. No wonder it's made global headlines."
The sheer volume of coverage spoke volumes.
Where there were newspapers, there was Taluge.
In financial hubs especially, this story was front and center.
"I checked the LME and Australian stock markets," Lang Heman added. "BHP shares have been sliding since the news broke. It's not a crash, but the trend is clear. The impact is real."
"I've been thinking about this nonstop for days," Lang continued. "We've done something big. The global capital market is watching. Some say we got lucky. Some mock BHP. Some are breaking down the project like analysts. There's all kinds of noise. But whatever others say, we have to carefully plan the next phase of development."
"Didn't Li Tang already draft a new implementation plan a few days ago?" Zhao asked, unsure why he and Guo had been called into this meeting.
"The chairman is attending personally today, and there's an important internal issue to discuss," Niu said as the setup came to an end.
"Gores from BHP reached out through Wu Yan. He wants to meet with us."
"About the dinner invitation from last time?" Zhao asked directly.
"They said it's about copper concentrate smelting contracts," Guo added.
"They say that," Niu said, tapping the table, then glancing at the newspapers. "But I suspect their real motive is to get involved with the Taluge project."
"The license used to be theirs. They underestimated it and sold it to us for cheap."
Lang Heman smiled gently. "Now that the world knows about Taluge, the media's tearing BHP apart. The board must be pressuring Gores. A loss of tens of billions—even for a giant like BHP—is no joke. My guess? They want to buy into Zhongcheng Mining. That way, they can save face by announcing a partnership."
"They want a stake in Zhongcheng?" Zhao frowned. "That's not our decision to make. They should talk to Li Tang."
"They did talk to him—and got nowhere. That's why they're coming to us."
Niu actually smiled a little. "Wu Yan said Gores has invited us to dinner."
"Sounds like a banquet with hidden motives," Guo laughed.
"Exactly. So I called you both in to ask—do we go, or not?"
"Don't go!" Zhao's tone was sharp. "We invited Gores to dinner before. He said he needed to schedule it. Then after a few days of waiting, he just turned us down! He's the CEO of a mining giant—too busy to meet us, fine. But he had plenty of time to tour around and relax!"
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