Rio iron ore output rises despite weaker demand

On schedule: An employee standing near trays of jadarite containing lithium and borate at the Rio research centre in Loznica, Serbia. The firm says production may start in 2026 and reach an output of 58,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate in 2029. — Bloomberg

PERTH: Rio Tinto Group says second-quarter shipments of iron ore from Western Australia rose modestly even as Chinese demand softened, while the company’s copper output jumped by almost a fifth.

The increase in exports of iron ore used to make steel came even as the miner said Chinese demand for the alloy was “muted” as the country’s property market struggles to emerge from a prolonged downturn.