China, poised to overtake the US as the second-biggest gold producer this year, must acquire more bullion assets overseas because existing mines will run out of ore in six years, Zijin Mining Group Co said.

China produces more than 200 t of the bullion a year from mines that only have gold, and will deplete the deposits without discoveries, Ren Guangzhi, manager of investment at Zijin, owner of the country's largest gold mine, said. Ren cited data from London-based research company GFMS Ltd.

Rising economic growth in China has led to surging demand for jewelry and spurred Zijin Mining, Zhongjin Gold Corp and other Chinese producers to increase production.

The Asian nation is the world's largest importer of iron ore and copper because domestic production lags behind demand.

"It's urgent for Chinese companies to develop gold mines overseas," Ren said in an interview in Shanghai n Thursday.

 Zijin fell 0.9% to HK$11.40 (US$1.46) at the 4:00 p.m. close in Hong Kong. The stock has more than doubled this year.

Zhaojin Mining Industry Co, which holds the second-most untapped gold deposits in China, is looking to invest overseas, Lv Ruixiang, vice general manager at the Hong Kong-listed company, said in an interview in Shanghai on Tuesday.

"We have examined some projects in countries such as the Philippines and Burma," Lv said. "But there have been no agreements."

Chinese miners may be able to profitably extract gold at lower grades compared with overseas rivals, Zijin's Ren said. Zijin could recover gold from ore with grade as low as 0.3 g/t, whereas other miners would need a grade of at least 3-5 g/t, he said.

Zijin Mining agreed to buy a 20% stake in a Philippine gold project from Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co, Manila-based Lepanto said on November 8. The Chinese company also agreed in June to pay US$55.1 million to buy a controlling stake in Tajikistan's biggest producer of the precious metal.

(Bloomberg, November 6)