Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto Ltd. has shrugged off concerns over the impact of a recession in the U.S., saying it would do little to slow the Chinese economic juggernaut driving the commodities boom.

The previously reserved mining giant has been stepping up the hard sell, with Chief Executive Tom Albanese giving a bullish presentation of the company’s prospects Friday as the deadline for a formal takeover offer from its rival BHP Billiton Ltd. looms.

With fears of a recession in the U.S. growing, Albanese is determined to promote Rio Tinto’s view that China’s growth will remain strong regardless of the woes of the world’s biggest economy.
China is increasingly decoupled from the U.S., Albanese said, and the Asian powerhouse would still grow at about 10% in 2008 even if the U.S. went into recession.

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