Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Australia warns of risks to delay in China spy case
| International
|
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Australia warns of risks to delay in China spy case
Sun Jul 12, 2009 1:58am EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Fayen Wong
PERTH (Reuters) - Australia warned China on Sunday of the risks to business confidence from Beijing's detention without charge of an Australian mining executive accused of spying, and said the affair could take a long time to untangle.
The detention a week ago of Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto's top iron ore salesman in China, Australian Stern Hu, and three of his Chinese subordinates has cast a shadow of Australia-China relations and unnerved the iron ore trade.
Rio Tinto is the world's second largest iron ore miner and was locked in intense price negotiations with China when Hu and the three others were detained in Shanghai, accused of stealing state secrets and bribing Chinese steelmakers for information.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said on Sunday he was urging Chinese authorities to handle the case expeditiously, and to consider the wider risks for international business confidence, but he stressed the case was likely to drag on for some time yet.
"We may well be in for a long haul here," he told reporters in Perth after a week in which opposition lawmakers accused China of human rights violations by holding Hu without charge or access to legal representation since his detention on July 5.
Chinese authorities allowed Australian consular officials to see Hu in detention on Friday, and Canberra reported him to be in good health, but Smith said Hu had still not been charged and there was no timetable for whether or not charges would be laid.
Australian authorities were still pressing for details of the allegations against Hu, Smith said, adding that China had still not revealed to them any evidence supporting the detentions.
"One of the issues for Chinese authorities to contemplate is the extent to which the circumstances of this case will cause the international business community to have any cause for concern," he said.
The affair has been confined to Rio Tinto, but rival iron ore producers Anglo-Australian miner BHP Billiton and Brazil's Vale are watching events closely.
Asked if other Australian firms operating in China had been questioned by Chinese authorities in relation to the espionage probe, Smith said: "There is nothing to cause me to believe that the matters relating to Hu's detention would in any way go wider within the Australian business community operating in China."
(Reporting by Fayen Wong, writing by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Bosnia buries Srebrenica massacre victims
Also on Reuters
Obama says stimulus plan to kick in later this year
Goldman Sachs profit bonanza could stoke anger
Drug companies fight the tide, and may win
More International News
Obama: Africa aid must be matched by good governance
| Video
Attack ruled out in oil tank fire in Xinjiang
Bosnia buries Srebrenica massacre victims
Isolated Honduras hunkers down
Nigeria rebels, government agree amnesty: lawyer
More International News...
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Attack ruled out in oil tank fire in Xinjiang
Obama: Africa aid must be matched by good governance | Video
Cheney told CIA to withhold information: report
How dangerous is Lashkar-e-Taiba to the west?
Americans swap homes for hotels as recession bites
Goldman Sachs profit bonanza could stoke anger
Drunk badger disrupts traffic
Berlin 'sex academy' offers tips for visitors
Obama tells pope he wants to reduce abortions in U.S. | Video
Australia warns of risks to delay in China spy case
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Bosnia mourns Srebrenica victims.
Obama addresses parliament in Ghana
Ghanaian president welcomes Obama
Calm returns to Xinjiang streets
More talks for Honduras rivals
Millions affected by China quake
Obama arrives in Ghana
Geithner: get tough on derivatives
Bull gores man to death in Pamplona
Pamplona bull runner dies
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
We want to hear from you
Join the Reuters Consumer Insight Panel and help us get to know you better
Please take a moment to complete our survey
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
Other News on Sunday, 12 July 2009 Brown defends Afghan strategy as deaths mount
Bosnia buries, mourns Srebrenica massacre victims
| International
|
Iraq bombings kill 8 in capital, northern village
Isolated Honduras hunkers down, Zelaya vows action
| International
|
Iraq car bomb kills four
Police, ultra-Orthodox Jews scuffle in Jerusalem
Italian hostage in Philippines freed after 6 months
| International
|
Israeli police drag away ultra-Orthodox protesters
| International
|
'Survivor' winner Hatch seeks confinement reprieve
NASA delays space shuttle launch by a day
Pittsburgh scholarships saving schools, students
Hispanic rights group at center of Sotomayor fight
Judge grants delay in Jackson guardianship case
The Nation's weather
WVa Lottery player still on a roll, wins 9th prize
Texas deputies say couple having sex in drug car
Ex-convicts working to prevent future convicts
Australian concerned for Rio employee China holds
Hong Kong lawmakers approve Disney expansion
China approves $6.3 billion construction IPO
Jackson's dad suspects foul play in death
| Entertainment
|
Island Records stars pay tribute at Montreux Jazz Festival
Dillinger's Ohio crime spree left out of new movie
Comic Artie Lange charged with DUI in NJ
Isolated US convoys in Afghanistan ambush targets
Clashes kill eight rebels, police officer in Caucasus: report
Bloggers held on hooliganism charges in Azerbaijan: rights group
Obama: Africa aid must be matched by good governance
| International
|
Worst yet to come: White House economic advisor
Attack ruled out in oil tank fire in Xinjiang
| International
|
Escada may cease trading: Board
Kurdish murder in Vienna still in mystery 20 years on
Australia warns of risks to delay in China spy case
| International
|
Iraq bombings kill 10 in capital, northern village
Isolated Honduras hunkers down
| International
|
Nigeria rebels, government agree amnesty: lawyer
| International
|
US soldier in Iraq sentenced in comrade's shooting
Pakistan, India meet may lead to dialogue
| International
|
Israeli police drag away ultra-Orthodox protesters
Italian hostage in Philippines freed after 6 months
| International
|
Police, ultra-Orthodox Jews scuffle in Jerusalem
Unpopular Japan PM's job on line in Tokyo vote
| International
|
Peru's Garcia names party insider prime minister
| International
|
Unpopular Japan PM's job on line in Tokyo vote
Italian hostage in Philippines freed: officials
After violence, western China looks for answers
Pakistan plans trial of Mumbai attackers next week: govt
Record-breaking Aussies pummel England in Ashes
Macau's sole leadership candidate denies link to land deal
Scholar: NKorea wants US show of remorse
Talks intensify over closing Calif.'s $26B deficit
Swiss gov't: legal battle over nuclear case
From a Delhi kebab stand, lessons in Indian life
Body found at NY building where woman went missing
Tribal region poses harsh test for Pakistan army
Obama urges Africans to fight tyranny, corruption
Attack ruled out in oil tank fire in Xinjiang
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,323
Relatives go to Ill. cemetery looking for answers
Palin says Alaska needs new ethics policy
AP sources: Cheney told CIA not to discuss progam
Fla. officials find van in panhandle slaying
Banderas says financial crisis hurting indie film-makers
Gibson, Foster team up for 'Beaver': report
Summer bonuses plunge record 16.6 percent in Japan
Report: NKorean army suspected over cyberattacks
India will clock high growth despite recession: PM
Austrians say outrageous Bruno is pretty funny
London's Royal Ballet to make Cuba debut
Cash-strapped California quizzes Jackson costs
Australian shot dead at Freeport mine in Indonesia
Banderas says financial crisis hurting indie film-makers
Danny DeVito serves lemon liqueur at festival
Gibson, Foster team up for 'Beaver': report
Austrians say outrageous Bruno ist pretty funny
| Entertainment
|
Iran threatens legal action over U.S. detentions
Swiss Al-Qaeda hostage freed in Mali
Afghans turn to Taliban in fear of own police
| International
|
NASA to try to launch space shuttle Endeavour
German exporters say world trade picking up
Israeli PM calls on Abbas to meet
Bombs kill 4 U.S. soldiers in south Afghanistan
| International
|
Police bulldoze migrant camp in Greek port
EU, Turkey set to sign Nabucco pipeline deal
Swatch expects sales to improve in second half
Palestinians reject any Israel-U.S. settlement deal
| International
|
Guinea army on alert, says drug dealers plan attack
| International
|
Fighting kills at least 43 in Somali capital
| International
|
Sri Lanka president names new military chief
Sotomayor gets nod from police chiefs
Jackson, healthy or not? Depends on who's talking
US says Kyrgyzstan base deal will boost security
AP source: Holder considering torture probe
China's Xinjiang under heavy security as stability urged
Obama believes Merkel 'has already won' election: report
Injured toll from China riots raised to 1,680
Obama urges patience on economic stimulus plan
China-Taiwan forum urges reducing language gap
Japanese protest violence in China's far west
Red Cross worker freed by militants in the Philippines
Iranian-Americans rally in front of White House
CIA praises Philippine efforts to rout terrorists
Special alloy sleeves urged to block hackers?
NASA to try to launch Endeavour on Sunday
Police say ambush kills 5 officers in NW Pakistan
China city tense but calm 1 week after riots
Ericsson to invest $1.5 bln in South Korea
Pakistan to talk with WB, ADB for IMF loan review
Ericsson to invest in R&D centre in South Korea
Australia: Rio detention could hurt China business
Nomura tie-up with India's largest life insurer
Jackson, healthy or not? Depends on who's talking
Paul Ricard, the drinks magnate drunk with art
Obama calls for higher education revamp in US
Freeport: Guard killed near Indonesian mine
Freeport: Security guard killed in Indonesia
Gunmen pre-planned fatal shooting in Papua: police
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights