Reuters reported on the 9th that Corriente (CTQ) is being "eyed up by global mining giants". The report mentions big world player Xstrata as well as Chilean state miner Codelco, and then also mentions Chinese player Tongling. There was nothing really new about the fact that CTQ itself is talking with all and various companies, but the solid news contained was that the Ecuadorean gov't (and not CTQ) has been approached and has talked to these three entities.
It is very unlikely that Codelco will step out of Chile and take an active role in a new mine in a different country as they have plenty of projects on their local plate already. On the other hand, Codelco is a welcome visitor in Ecuador and a long-standing partner to the Chinese metals industry; an advisory role is more probable. To hear Xstrata is sniffing around is interesting and logical, but the one you have to pay attention to is Tongling. For one thing, it doesn't really matter which Chinese company is the ostensible front, as all the recent Chinese purchases of LatAm mining projects have been funded by the state.
