Chinese shareholders are on the move ever since a rush of takeovers of Australian mining firms took place during the past two weeks.

According to experts and industry players, the change in attitude among Chinese investors is primarily driven by the changing of Chinese leadership and the low commodity prices.

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Reports said that major shareholders of Australian resources from China's state-owned enterprises are taking a proactive approach to take control of strategic assets such as operating mines and ports.

For example, Baosteel, a Chinese steel giant, joined Aurizon, a local rail haulage provider in Australia, and offered AUS $1.42 billion (US $1.32 B) to buy Aquila Resources, a Perth-based coal and iron ore player.

Another Chinese investor, Guangdong Rising Asset Management, offered copper miner PanAust AUS $1.46 billion (US$1.36 B).

These two are just examples of what's taking place in Australia's mining industry.

According to Andrew Parker, head of the PwC's Asian deals desk, the takeovers are seen as 'discernible change' in the attitude of Chinese investors toward Australian resource companies.

Parker pointed out that investment talks in the past between state-owned enterprises in China and Australian firms didn't go so well, which can be attributed to the past leadership.

However, the change in Chinese leadership also meant that state-owned-enterprises are also changing strategies. Chinese public enterprises are actively looking for investment opportunities specifically in the mining sector.

"What we're seeing now from our businesses' point of view is a resurgence of Chinese interest in the past six or eight weeks," Parker said.

The main targets of the takeovers were Australian companies that granted Chinese shareholders control of how projects are developed. They also find appealing the Australian companies that allow them to gain control over cheap equity markets.

According to industry experts, what is most notable in these takeovers is that Chinese investors are more open to advice, especially when it comes to transactions. Experts believe that Chinese shareholders learned so much from the previous negotiation breakdowns it experienced with the past leadership.

TagsTakeovers, Australian mining industry, state-owned-enterprises