Ann: Quarterly Activities/Appendix 5B Cash Flow Report, page-64

Rio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm has said that while the company "wouldn't mind more copper" in its portfolio, it is keen to not be pro-cyclical and is wary of the "hot" market at present for red metal assets.Stausholm made the comment in response to an analyst question during Rio's half-year results conference call today.In a similar vein, he said Rio could look at lithium assets given the current beaten down nature of that sector, though he was also quick to note that with the emerging Rincon and Jadar projects, the company already had assets with "real tier one" potential.Reassuringly for those in the lithium space, Stausholm said it was "fairly given that the world will need lithium".