I would say it is highly likely... The Chinese are really coming into their own on the world stage, and as such, I don't believe they are content to simply consume copper and other metals from other country's big mining producers. Rather, they aim to dominate the production of copper, etc so that they can have more control over their own supply chain. For a Chinese powerhouse to grab a piece of the pie in Alaska (America) makes massive strategic sense and i'm sure the Chinese government (after all it is a command economy) is more than happy to support the move in that direction.