Exciting times indeed for those of us who have waited so long...

Exciting times indeed for those of us who have waited so long for the boat to come in. There are expectations that Rio is waiting in the wings to jump in and start a bidding war. My thought is that perhaps, considering the Chinese company can't be totally divorced from govt influence, then for Rio to make a bid that trounces the Chinese bid could well put them in a very awkward political situation with one of their major buyers. We all know how antsy the Chinese can be when it comes to commercial deals of this nature that don't go their way. Think Stern Hu and numerous other examples. Interested to hear thoughts from others that no doubt know more than I do. Call me paranoid.