SHANGHAI, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police have concluded investigations into four employees of Australian mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd, who were suspected of infringing trade secrets and bribery.

Photo taken on July 9, 2009 shows the Rio Tinto Ltd. Office in Shanghai, east China. Four employees of the Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto Ltd. have been arrested over alleged stealing of China's state secrets, including Stern Hu, general manager of the company's Shanghai offic. The four people, including Hu, had been detained by China's security authorities Sunday evening.(Xinhua File Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The four were handed over to local procuratorate for prosecution, Shanghai public security authorities said Monday.

    The four suspects included head of Rio Tinto's Shanghai office, Australian citizen Stern Hu, and three local employees Liu Caikui, Ge Minqiang and Wang Yong, said a statement by Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Australian Acting Foreign Minister said court date could be set for Stern Hu

    CANBERRA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Rio Tinto's executive Stern Hu could find out on Monday if he will face a Chinese court on espionage charges, an Australian official said.

    "Today is an important date because it's a deadline in terms of whether further time will be sought for investigations or in fact charges will be laid," Acting Foreign Minister Simon Crean told the Australian Broadcasting Company on Monday. Full story

China reaffirms principle of investigation of Rio Tinto case

    BEIJING, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- China will handle the Rio Tinto case according to Chinese law and the China-Australia Consular Agreement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular news briefing on Thursday.

    Stern Hu, head of Rio Tinto's Shanghai office, was detained by Chinese authorities in early July along with three other staff on charges of spying and stealing state secrets.  Full story

China targets bribers in fight against corruption

BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's judiciary agencies have extended focus of corruption targets to bribe givers, as prosecutors expanded a blacklist of bribers to all industries to uproot corruption.

The blacklist database, covering the country's all bribers convicted by Chinese court since 1997 when an amendment to the Criminal Law took effect, was opened for public scrutiny earlier this month.  Full story

Rio Tinto arrests an "isolated" case: Chinese official     

      BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Rio Tinto case will not and should not hurt trade and economic ties between China and Australia, Vice Minister of Commerce Fu Ziying said Wednesday.

    He was speaking after China's Supreme People's Procuratorate on Tuesday announced the arrest of four employees of the Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto on charges of stealing commercial secrets and bribery.  Full story