Rio Tinto may have a difficult political climate to navigate in Mongolia, after a prominent resource nationalist was confirmed as the next president of the developing Asian nation.

Khaltmaa Battulga has previously criticised the investment agreement that Rio Tinto struck with the Mongolian government for the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in 2009, and his rise to the presidency was confirmed over the weekend when his rival, Miyeegombo Enkhbold, conceded defeat.