Glencore's Rio plans hinge on nod from China

Swiss company seeks new options to push through ambitious proposal

Ivan Glasenberg, the chief executive of Switzerland-based mining company Glencore Plc, may need approval from Beijing for his ambitious plan to create the world's biggest mining company by merging Glencore with Rio Tinto Group, the Anglo-Australian metals and mining corporation.

With London-based Rio rejecting Glasenberg's July approach, Glencore went directly to Rio's biggest shareholder - State-owned Aluminum Corp of China, widely known as Chinalco. While the company's 9.8 percent stake is important in determining Rio's future, the view of its ultimate owner, the Chinese government, is even more crucial.