China ‘Golden Years’ Are Gone as Growth Slows, Vale Says

China’s “golden years” are gone as economic growth at the world’s second-biggest economy slows, said an official at Vale SA, the top iron-ore producer.

Vale, which shipped about 44 percent of its iron ore and pellets to Chinese steelmakers in the second quarter, expects the country to start to recover by the end of the year, said Roberto Castello Branco, the Rio de Janeiro-based company’s director of investor relations. Vale sees some “early signals” of recovery, which are still “very weak,” he said.