BHP Billiton-Rio Tinto: Aussification

BHP Billiton doesn’t just want to take Rio Tinto out - it wants to take it down under. BHP is already an Australian-led natural resources champion. But add Rio and it would be the indisputable alpha-male gorilla of the global industry. That’s a big deal for the antipodes. It probably makes not just BHP’s managers salivate but also the new prime minister. Kevin Rudd, who took over this week, is a fluent Mandarin speaker who has made relations with China a top priority. Rudd will cut a bigger fig...