It’s ironic that decades after the dissolution of the old Australian Wheat Board, which operated a single-desk monopoly to prevent foreign buyers from undercutting local farmers, Australian iron ore miners are pondering whether some sort of collective front is needed to combat Chinese pricing pressure.That follows a year of Beijing’s central buying desk, the China Mineral Resources Group (which represents close to 80 per cent of Chinese steel mills), playing hardball with Australian iron ore producers, including Rio Tinto, BHP and Fortescue over pricing.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles