The Shoei Kisen Kaisha cargo ship Mineral Shikoku, heading for Tianjin, China, loaded with iron ore at the ship loading facility at Fortescue Metals Group berth in Port Hedland in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesBO’AO, China — China’s post-pandemic reopening will boost demand for commodities more significantly than it did when the country emerged from the 2008 financial crisis, according to Andrew Forrest, executive chairman of Fortescue.The Australian iron ore giant began business in China with a 180,000-metric ton shipment of iron ore in 2008, according to the company’s website.At that time, China managed to avoid a prolonged recession with a massive stimulus program that supported infrastructure development — which drove up demand for commodities. “It’s like that, but this time it’s only going to be bigger in volume,” Forrest told CNBC on Wednesday, when asked how China’s post-Covid demand might compare.”Probably around the same or a little less in percentage,” he said on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia. Government leaders and business executives are at the high-profile conference held annually in Hainan province and sometimes likened to the Asian version of the World Economic Forum’s annual event in Davos, Switzerland.What we’re seeing now is uniform demand across China.An …
