From ABC News (link):
Investors in BHP Billiton Ltd. have a glitter in their eye when they look upon China, the superhot market that’s making the world’s largest diversified resources company ever richer.
From iron ore to copper to oil, the global boom in commodities prices has thundered along at a historic pace in recent years.
In its frantic rush to erect skyscrapers, sell refrigerators and run power plants, China’s economy has led world demand with an unquenchable appetite for basic materials and energy. And few companies have profited from it more handsomely than the global enterprise of BHP Billiton.