Prosecutors in China have arrested 4 employees of global mining giant Rio Tinto on suspicion of stealing trade secrets.
China's state-run Xinhua News Agency said on Wednesday that prosecutors in Shanghai arrested one Australian and 3 Chinese.
The employees have been detained since June on charges including the theft of state secrets, which is a capital crime, although that charge has been dropped.
Rio Tinto issued a comment that its employees have acted properly and ethically in their business dealings in China, and said the arrests were unjust.
Rumors reported in China suggest that Chinese steel makers were manipulated into buying expensive iron ore from Australian as a result of espionage by Rio Tinto.
But there is speculation in Australia that the arrests were made in retaliation for Rio Tinto's tough price negotiations.
最終更新：2009年08月17日 23:58
