Beijing: China has charged four employees of
mining giant Rio Tinto including an Australian in an
industrial espionage case that has strained diplomatic ties, a
lawyer for one of the employees said on Wednesday.
The group of four, which includes Australian passport
holder Stern Hu, allegedly "used their positions to obtain
benefits for others and on many occasions solicited or
accepted bribes," state-run Xinhua news agency said.
The report said the employees of the Anglo-Australian
firm had also "on many occasions obtained the trade secrets of
Chinese steel companies, leading to serious consequences for
the relevant steel companies".
Zhang Peihong, a lawyer for one of the accused, confirmed
the charges to agency.
Hu and his three colleagues, all Chinese nationals, were
detained last July and initially accused of stealing state
secrets in a case that badly strained Beijing`s relations with
Canberra. The accusations were later watered down.
A spokeswoman with the Australian embassy in Beijing said
she was aware of the report but referred requests for comment
to the government in Canberra.
In Australia, a Rio Tinto spokesman declined immediate
comment as did a spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister
Stephen Smith.
The Australian national`s arrest sparked concerns over
the perils of doing business deals with rapidly
industrialising China, the world`s biggest iron ore consumer.
PTI
