Over 60,000 tons of iron ore has left Argentina for China this week which has drawn attention from the Argentine press.
"This week, over 60,000 tons of iron ore that left the mines of Sierra Grande in Rio Negro is bound for China. This is the biggest volume transported this year by Sierra Grande Minera, operated by the China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC)," said the local Clarin newspaper.
It said the mining operations have created around 1,000 jobs in the Rio Negro municipality, which was close to disappearing in 1991 when the Hipasam mine was shut down by the government.
Since then, over 8,000 people have left the area due to a lack of job opportunities.
According to the report, the rejuvenation of the area began in 2006 with the arrival of Chinese capital. Since then, the MCC has invested over 540 million U.S. dollars in Sierra Grande Minera.
