Citic Resources: Macarthur Coal Remains Long-Term Investment

Citic Resources Holdings Ltd. (1205.HK) said Wednesday its stake in Australian coal miner Macarthur Coal Ltd. (MCC.AU) remains a long-term investment for the company, despite the Australian government's proposed new tax on the mining sector.

"Australia's proposed resources tax will have an impact on mining firms," Chief Executive Sun Xinguo told reporters in Hong Kong after a shareholders meeting. "We will find out the impact on our business after examining more of the details of the tax plans," he said.

Citic Resources and state-run parent Citic Group are the largest shareholders in Macarthur Coal, the world's biggest exporter of pulverized coal by volume, with a combined stake of 22.4%.

Citic Resources' shares are down 13% this week as investors factored in lower earnings for its Australian investment after the Australia government said Sunday it planned to introduce a 40% tax on the mining industry's profits. The benchmark Hang Seng Index is down 3.7% this week.

The company's shares ended down 3.6% at HK$1.62 Wednesday, compared with a 2.1% decline on the benchmark index.

Asked whether Citic Resources will support Peabody Energy Corp.'s (BTU) takeover bid for Macarthur Coal, Sun said the company has nothing to add to the statement it made last month, in which it said it hadn't yet decided whether to back the bid.

U.S. coal company Peabody Energy sweetened its takeover offer for Macarthur Coal to A$4.07 billion in April but investors are concerned it may now try to lower the price after Australia proposed the new mining taxes.

Peabody, the world's dominant producer of coal for use in blast furnaces, told Macarthur this week it was working through the impact of the tax plans on its bid for Australia's biggest coal exporter.

Citic Resources also operates an aluminum smelter in Australia, and produces manganese in China's Guangxi province and in Gabon, West Africa.

-By Yvonne Lee, Dow Jones Newswires; 852-2802-7002; [e-mail]