Australia out of favour with ChinaAugust 18th, 2009 SYDNEY - Australian Foreign Minister Steven Smith Tuesday flagged further discord with China following tiffs over foreign investment rules, iron ore pricing, alleged industrial espionage and the visit to Australia of Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer. He told parliament that China had cancelled a visit by a senior official in response to Canberra's decision to grant Kadeer a visa to visit a film festival in Melbourne.
China charges Rio Tinto Australia executive of commercial briberyAugust 12th, 2009 BEIJING - Chinese prosecutors have charged Australian executive Stern Hu with commercial bribery, which means he could be facing up to seven years jail if found guilty by Beijing. China's official news agency Xinhua said Hu and three Rio Tinto Chinese colleagues were charged late on Tuesday, six days after being detained in Shanghai.
Oz, China spat over Rio Tinto 'spy' claim may be on the mendAugust 11th, 2009 SHANGHAI - With the Chinese Government backtracking on a website article that accused a British-Australian steel company of industrial espionage costing Beijing 100 billion dollars, and Australian diplomats in Shanghai meeting detained Rio Tinto executive for a second time, it appears as if ties between Beijing and Canberra are on the mend after weeks of tension. Consular staff were last week permitted their second monthly prison visit with Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu since his arrest on July 5.
Rio Tinto shares plunge more than 3 percent after China claims a 6-year spying campaignAugust 10th, 2009 Rio Tinto prices plunge on China spy claimsSYDNEY —Rio Tinto Ltd.'s share price plunged more than 3 percent Monday after China accused the Anglo-Australian miner of conducting a six-year spying campaign that it claimed cost Chinese steelmakers billions of dollars in inflated prices for iron ore. Rio Tinto declined to respond to the latest allegations but said in July that bribery allegations against four Rio Tinto employees detained in China were baseless.
Australian foreign minister hopes to talk with Chinese officials about Australian's detentionJuly 21st, 2009 Australian FM hopes to discuss Rio case with ChinaCANBERRA, Australia — Australia's foreign minister said Tuesday he hopes to discuss the detention of an Australian mining executive accused by China of stealing state secrets with his Chinese counterpart this week. Stephen Smith flew to Thailand on Tuesday for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting that China will be participating in.
Mongolian parliament sidesteps mining pact with foreigners, asking the government to handleJuly 17th, 2009 Mongolian lawmakers sidestep foreign mining pactULAN BATOR, Mongolia — Mongolia's parliament, unable to agree on a mining deal, has given the government a freehand to renegotiate terms with Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. and Rio Tinto Ltd.
Rio Tinto says Chinese bribery claims falseJuly 17th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has said that the allegations that some of its employees in China have been engaged in bribery are "wholly without foundation". Chinese authorities claim four employees of the world's third-biggest miner bribed Chinese steel mills officials during annual iron ore contract price negotiations.
Now, Oz mining giant Rio Tinto accused of bribing executives of 16 Chinese steel millsJuly 15th, 2009 BEIJING - The staff of Australian miner Rio Tinto bribed executives from all 16 Chinese steel mills participating in this year's iron ore price talks, an industry insider has disclosed. "Rio Tinto got to know the key executives of the 16 steel mills, who have sensitive industry information, when the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) brought them to the bargaining table," China Daily quoted a senior manager at a large steel company, as saying.
State media alleges widespread bribery in Rio Tinto caseJuly 15th, 2009 Major bribery alleged in Rio Tinto caseBEIJING — A government-owned newspaper alleged Wednesday that executives from all 16 Chinese steel mills participating in iron ore price talks this year were bribed by Rio Tinto employees. The English-language China Daily quoted an unnamed "industry insider" saying that the Anglo-Australian mining giant bribed China's largest steel companies, all members of the China Iron & Steel Association, to get access to industry data.
Australian PM warns China that world is watching its handling of detained Rio Tinto employeesJuly 15th, 2009 Australian PM warns China in Rio Tinto caseADELAIDE, Australia — Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Wednesday warned China that the world is watching how it deals with an investigation into four detained employees of Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. Rudd urged China to consider its economic ties with other countries as it dealt with the men, who have been held since July 5 on espionage charges.
Rudd Govt. in "worst foreign policy crisis" following China's Rio Tinto GM arrestJuly 11th, 2009 MELBOURNE - The Australian Government's open support to the Shanghai-based Australian general manager of iron ore mining company, Hu Stern, who has been arrested on espionage charges in China, is set to put the Kevin Rudd government in the worst foreign policy crisis since taking office in November 2007. "Frankly, it is difficult for a nation like Australia to see a relationship between espionage and national security and what appeared to be suggestions about commercial or economic negotiations," Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said in the wake of Australian consular officials gaining access to Hu for the first time since his arrest last Sunday.
China arrests Rio Tinto's Shanghai GM on bribery chargesJuly 10th, 2009 MELBOURNE - The Chinese Government has arrested the Shanghai-based general manager of multinational mining and resources, Rio Tinto, on charges of bribing staff of Chinese steel companies during iron ore negotiations this year. Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith disclosed that Stern Hu is being detained on suspicion of spying and stealing state secrets in China.
Four mining firm employees detained in China for spyingJuly 9th, 2009 SHANGHAI - Four employees of the international mining group Rio Tinto Ltd. have been detained on charges of stealing China's state secrets, authorities said Thursday.
Australian Rio Tinto worker detained in China on espionage chargeJuly 8th, 2009 Australian detained on espionage charge in ChinaSYDNEY — An Australian who heads Rio Tinto's iron ore operations in China has been arrested in Shanghai and accused of espionage, Australia's foreign minister said Wednesday. The detention of the executive and three Chinese nationals working for Rio comes at a tense period between the Anglo-Australian miner and China due to tough negotiations on iron ore prices and the failed plan for China's state-owned Chinalco to buy a big stake in Rio Tinto.
Chinalco maintains 9.3 percent stake in Rio Tinto through $15.2 billion rights issueJuly 2nd, 2009 Chinalco maintains 9.3 percent stake in Rio TintoMELBOURNE, Australia — State-controlled Aluminum Corp. of China said Thursday it took up its full entitlement in Rio Tinto's $15.2 billion share issue to maintain a 9.3 percent stake in the Anglo-Australian miner.
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