美国Plc公司在巴西的最高负责人表示，该国应避免在全球关键矿产竞争中选边站队，而应寻求向不同地缘政治阵营的国家供应矿产。
American Plc’s top executive in Brazil says the nation should avoid picking sides in the global race for critical minerals and seek to supply nations across geopolitical blocs.
“我们必须与所有人谈判。我们没有理由选择一方，”安娜·桑切斯周一在接受采访时表示，前一天左翼总统路易斯·伊纳西奥·卢拉·达席尔瓦赢得连任，继续领导拉美最大经济体。
“We have to negotiate with everyone. There’s no reason for us to choose a side,” Ana Sanches said in an interview Monday, a day after leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection as the head of Latin America’s largest economy.
巴西拥有世界上最大的稀土储量之一——稀土用于从电动汽车、风力涡轮机到无人机的方方面面——仅次于中国。随着这个南美国家寻求利用其巨大的矿产资源，卢拉将面临挑战，需要平衡与中国（其最大贸易伙伴）和美国（正在寻求关键矿产替代供应以减少对北京的依赖）的关系。
Brazil holds one of the world’s largest reserves of rare earths — used in everything from electric vehicles and wind turbines to drones — second only to China. As the South American country seeks to capitalize on its vast mineral resources, Lula will be challenged to balance ties with China, its biggest trading partner, and the US, which is seeking alternative supplies of critical minerals to reduce its reliance on Beijing.
桑切斯敦促巴西迅速行动，为其新的关键矿产政策制定明确规则，以给矿业公司的投资提供更大的确定性。9月的政策改革将赋予一个政府委员会特殊权力，以批准采矿交易和供应协议，同时为国内加工提供激励措施，但该政策尚未生效。
Sanches urged Brazil to move quickly to set clear rules for its new critical-minerals policy to give mining companies greater predictability over their investments. September’s policy overhaul will give a government council special powers to approve mining deals and supply agreements while offering incentives for domestic processing, but it’s yet to be enforced.
“政府必须发挥其作用。我看不出有什么不对，”桑切斯说，她同时也是巴西矿业协会（Ibram）董事会主席。“我们只需要明确这意味着什么，以及将如何实施。
“The government has to play its role. I don’t see anything wrong with that,” said Sanchez, who is also president of the board of the Brazilian Mining Institute, or Ibram. “We just need clarity on what that means and how it will be implemented.
她说，这意味着要为执行新框架设定明确的标准和期限。打击非法采矿、扩大地质测绘、使许可更具可预测性，对该行业也至关重要，该行业“必须向前发展，无论哪个政府当选。”她补充说，作为主要全球生产国，巴西应将高品位铁矿石视为关键矿产。稀缺的优质矿石将在钢铁生产脱碳中发挥日益重要的作用。
That means setting clear criteria and deadlines for carrying out the new framework, she said. Fighting illegal mining, expanding geological mapping, and making permitting more predictable are also key for the sector, which “has to move forward regardless of which government is elected.”Brazil, as a major global producer, should treat high-grade iron ore as a critical mineral, she added. Scarce premium grades will play an increasingly important role in decarbonizing steel production.
尽管英美资源集团与泰克资源有限公司的计划合并将打造一家新的铜矿巨头，但桑切斯表示，巴西业务将继续专注于优质铁矿石。英美资源集团还近期将其在巴西的镍业务出售给了中国的紫金矿业集团有限公司，双方正寻求避免欧盟对这笔计划中的5亿美元交易的潜在否决。
While Anglo’s planned merger with Teck Resources Ltd. is set to create a new copper mining colossus, Sanches said Brazilian operations will stay focused on premium iron ore. Anglo also recently sold its nickel operations in Brazil to China’s MMG Ltd. and the two companies are seeking to avoid a potential European Union veto of the planned $500 million deal.
英美资源集团在巴西的业务现集中于米纳斯-里奥项目，该项目包含一个完全一体化的铁矿石运营体系、一座位于米纳斯吉拉斯州的矿山、一座加工厂、一条矿浆管道以及里约热内卢州的一个港口。该矿山项目拥有品位约为67%的高品位矿石。
Anglo’s business in Brazil is now concentrated at Minas-Rio, which includes a fully integrated iron ore operation, a mine in Minas Gerais State, a processing plant, a slurry pipeline and a port in Rio de Janeiro. The mining project has high-grade ore of about 67% iron content.
尽管因运费上涨，米纳斯-里奥项目第三季度实现价格同比下降12%，但桑切斯表示，英美资源集团并不打算削减产量，并预计运费将回落。她称，因战争相关的干扰，公司已将原定发往巴林钢铁的货物改道至包括亚洲、北非、欧洲和日本在内的市场。
While Minas-Rio’s third-quarter realized prices fell 12% year-over-year on higher freight costs, Sanches said Anglo isn’t planning to cut production and expects shipping rates to retreat. War-related disruptions have prompted the company to redirect cargoes bound for Bahrain Steel to markets including Asia, North Africa, Europe and Japan, she said.