Acquisitions by China's gold mining companies have reached a record this year

Acquisitions by China's gold mining companies have reached a record this year. Gold's steepest quarterly drop in more than nine decades has slashed mine values and sidelined Western rivals laden with debt. Takeovers and asset purchases by producers based in China and Hong Kong rose to record $2.24 billion this year, beating last year's record $1.96 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.