Canberra: Chinese firms' resource bids not blocked

The Australian government has claimed that it has not told Chinese companies to withdraw their bids to buy into Australian resource companies, Reuters reported. Resource Minister Martin Ferguson denied media reports, including from the Australian newspaper, that the government had been suggesting to high-level Chinese officials that some investment applications be taken back and resubmitted later. "As China makes investments, some will be rejected, some will be changed to meet our national interest test. That’s no different to previous investments by companies out of key markets such as Japan and Korea," Ferguson said. Some potential Chinese deals, including steelmaker Shougang’s attempt to buy 19.73% of Mount Gibson Iron, have recently been rejected by authorities.