BHP Billiton's Donald Trump talks 'productive' says mining giant
BHP Billiton said it had a "productive" meeting with President-elect Donald Trump today in New York City, ahead of his inauguration on January 20.
BHP Billiton chairman Jac Nasser and chief executive Andrew Mackenzie met with Mr Trump and Vice-President-elect Mike Pence.
"They discussed a wide range of subject areas, including the global resources sector, and BHP Billiton's investment in the US," a BHP Billiton spokesperson said in a statement emailed to the ABC.
"The company looks forward to working with the new administration."
Mr Nasser had previously told shareholders at the company's AGM in November that Mr Trump's pledge to apply 45 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports would trigger a trade war, but said it was part of an election "rhetoric" that would be scaled back once he is in the White House.
"What you have seen in the US political process recently is quite a lot of rhetoric and some of which will happen and some of it won't," Mr Nasser said at the time.
"I happen to think we should wait … until we see what some of the key cabinet appointments are, made by this new administration."
Mr Trump has said he also plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on infrastructure programs. That would create a need for the raw materials that BHP produces.
BHP Billiton is the largest overseas investor in US shale oil and gas, has offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and is a partner with Rio Tinto in a copper project in Arizona, according to Bloomberg.