BEIJING, April 1: China’s state-backed mining and metals firm MCC Group said on Tuesday that its Pakistani Dapua copper project would start production in the first quarter of 2009.

Group’s vice president Wang Yongguang also told reporters MCC was expected to bring its Papua New Guinea nickel and cobalt mine into commercial production early next year.

He said the group would get its final approval for a public share offering very soon.

“The approval for the whole listing will come very soon. We have entered the final stage,” Wang said on the sidelines of a conference.

He said the proposal had won approvals from eight relevant ministries.—Reuters