Finishing that thought With regard to my previous email, there is the issue that the Chinese are going to be loathe to act, not liking the idea that they are being 'used' to help out an Anglo-Australian business concern in OT. Plus, the idea of Chinese sending in troops to a foreign country is anathema to the current leadership. On the other hand is the fact that Chalco is the biggest shareholder of RIO, Chinese/Australian cooperation in the natural resources sector is very important to both countries and they therefore have an incentive to act together, and lastly, NOBODY likes the Mongolians except themselves. As much as the Mongolians dislike the Chinese, the Chinese dislike like the Mongolians. The Great Wall of China was built to keep the Mongols out! History says the Chinese won't take flack from their arrogant, sparsely populated, too-big-for-their-britches neighbor for long. And it wouldn't take any undue effort for them to put them right back in their place. After all, what is the largest army in the world good for if it can't be employed to defend the honor and rightful property of China?