This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8579276.stm

The article has changed 36 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Rio Tinto trial opens in Shanghai Rio Tinto trial opens in Shanghai
(40 minutes later)
Four employees of international mining group Rio Tinto have gone on trial in the Chinese city of Shanghai, charged with bribery and commercial espionage.Four employees of international mining group Rio Tinto have gone on trial in the Chinese city of Shanghai, charged with bribery and commercial espionage.
Australian Stern Hu and his three Chinese colleagues have been held in detention since last summer. Australian Stern Hu and his three Chinese colleagues have been held in detention since July 2009.
The Australian government has expressed its concern that its consular officials will be prevented from witnessing some of the court proceedings.The Australian government has expressed its concern that its consular officials will be prevented from witnessing some of the court proceedings.
The case has put an important economic relationship under strain. The case has highlighted fears among foreign businesses in China.
Stern Hu was Rio Tinto's lead negotiator in the talks with Chinese steel mills to try to settle a price for China to buy iron ore from Australian mining companies.Stern Hu was Rio Tinto's lead negotiator in the talks with Chinese steel mills to try to settle a price for China to buy iron ore from Australian mining companies.
He and three of his Chinese colleagues on the iron ore sales team were taken from their homes on 5 July last year. They've been held in detention, and have not seen their families ever since. Foreign concerns
He and three of his Chinese colleagues on the iron ore sales team have been held in detention unable to see their families since they were taken from their homes on 5 July last year.
Although Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said that the world will be watching, the Chinese authorities have obscured the view Nick BryantBBC Sydney correspondent Read Nick's thoughts in fullAlthough Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said that the world will be watching, the Chinese authorities have obscured the view Nick BryantBBC Sydney correspondent Read Nick's thoughts in full
They are charged with commercial espionage, punishable by up to seven years in prison and taking bribes, a charge that also carries a lengthy jail term.They are charged with commercial espionage, punishable by up to seven years in prison and taking bribes, a charge that also carries a lengthy jail term.
China relies heavily on mining giants like Rio Tinto, to feed its huge appetite for raw materials to power its economy. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said it is disappointed with the Chinese court's decision not to allow its consular officials to attend sessions which might include commercial secrets.
The case is being watched closely by companies around the world for clues as to what dangers their own employees might face when they are working in China. "The Government's disappointment with the decision has been registered with Chinese officials in Beijing and Canberra. The Australian Government does not propose to make further representations on this matter," it said in a statement issued over the weekend.
Australia's raised concerns over whether the men will get a fair trial hear or not. It said Mr Hu's lawyer, Duan Qihua, would be present throughout the trial.
Diplomats will be barred from some parts of the hearing that will take place behind closed doors. Australian consular officials will attend hearings involving the bribery charges, and the consul-general for Shanghai, Tom Connor, was seen entering the court.
But China has rejected criticism of the arrangements, warning its critics not to attempt to politicise the court proceedings. "The Australian government will be monitoring the trial very carefully," Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told reporters on Monday.
China's difference
Rio Tinto supplies vast quantities of iron ore to China
"China has a different legal system to Australia, China has a different legal system to the rest of the world."
"The world will be watching very closely," he added, repeating comments he made last week.
A Chinese researcher in a think-tank run by the nation's Ministry of Commerce said there was a strong case against the Rio employees and warned Australia to keep a distance.
"The Australian government and public need to calmly and rationally consider this question: should the government waste such a large amount of political and financial resources to pay the bill for certain companies' immature and even illegal ways?" the researcher, Mei Xinyu, wrote in the Chinese-language Shanghai Securities News.
"What Rio Tinto and Stern Hu did would be utterly taboo in any host country," the writer alleged.
The BBC's Shanghai correspondent Chris Hogg notes that China relies heavily on mining giants like Rio Tinto, to feed its huge appetite for raw materials to power its economy.
He says the case is being watched closely by companies around the world for clues as to what dangers their own employees might face when they are working in China.