en.Wedoany.com Reported - The 4th China International Supply Chain Expo (Chain Expo) was held from June 22 to 26, 2026, at the Shunyi Hall of the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing. With the theme "Connecting the World for a Shared Future," the expo featured "6 Chains and 1 Exhibition Area," attracting 676 leading enterprises, specialized and innovative companies, and industry organizations from 85 countries, regions, and international organizations. Foreign exhibitors accounted for 36.5%, with Fortune 500 and industry-leading companies making up over 65%. Rio Tinto and China Baowu Steel Group jointly appeared for the third consecutive year in the Smart Vehicle Chain Exhibition Area, showcasing their collaborative achievements across the industrial chain from resource development to end-use applications under the theme "Rio Tinto: Pioneering New Paths, Driving the Chain Forward."
The Simandou iron ore project in Guinea, West Africa, was a key highlight of this year's expo. The Simandou project is a full-chain overseas resource development initiative encompassing mines, railways, and ports, with proven reserves of 4.4 billion tons and an average iron grade of over 65%, making it one of the world's largest undeveloped high-grade iron ore deposits. On November 11, 2025, the Simandou project officially commenced production at the Port of Morebaya in Guinea. On January 17, 2026, the first shipment carrying nearly 200,000 tons of Simandou iron ore successfully arrived at China Baowu's Majishan Port, marking the full integration of this end-to-end supply chain. For the first time, Rio Tinto systematically showcased its collaboration with Chinese partners across all aspects of the Simandou project, from the construction of mine facilities, ports, and railway branch lines—including infrastructure—to the deployment of key equipment such as mining trucks and graders, as well as transshipment vessels and maritime logistics, and downstream processing stages like screening and crushing at Chinese ports, forming a complete industrial cooperation chain from mining to end-use applications.
In the field of low-carbon metallurgy, China Baowu showcased the "first furnace steel" component—an automotive A-pillar reinforcement panel—trial-produced on China's first near-zero-carbon production line with a capacity of one million tons, using high-grade Simandou ore as raw material. This achievement reflects the full chain of "mine development—ocean shipping—pellet production—hydrogen-based shaft furnace—electric arc furnace smelting—low-carbon steel coils—low-carbon automotive parts." The exhibited BaoteSai® electro-galvanized side panel outer part is China's first automotive outer panel produced using the "full scrap steel + electric arc furnace" process, achieving approximately 60% carbon reduction. Baosteel's fifth-generation white body, BCB EV® Meta, was also on display. Rio Tinto highlighted its resource supply capabilities in automotive, electrification, and advanced manufacturing sectors, focusing on core products such as iron ore, copper, aluminum, and lithium.
Xu Feng, CEO of Rio Tinto China, stated that the Chain Expo's international and professional influence continues to grow, making it an important platform for promoting international cooperation in industrial and supply chains. Rio Tinto will continue to deepen collaboration with Chinese partners like China Baowu, leveraging local industrial strengths in innovation and engineering to enhance supply chain resilience and efficiency, contributing to industrial upgrading and low-carbon transformation.
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