Rio Tinto workers get China trial date

Rio Tinto says its workers have done nothing wrong

China has set a trial date for four Rio Tinto employees charged with bribery and violating commercial secrets, the Australian government has said.

The employees of the mining company will face a closed court in Shanghai on 22 March.

Australian citizen Stern Hu, Rio Tinto's lead iron ore negotiator in China, is one of the four facing trial.

Mr Hu and his Chinese colleagues Liu Caikui, Ge Minqiang and Wang Yon have been in detention since July last year.

If convicted, they could face up to 27 years in prison.

Diplomatic problem

When indictments were issued last month, the prosecutor's office said the men had "exploited their positions to seek gain for others, and numerous times either sought or illegally accepted massive bribes from a number of Chinese steel firms".

"Many times they used personal inducements and other improper means to obtain commercial secrets from Chinese steel firms, causing serious consequences for the steel firms concerned."

The case has created a political and diplomatic problem for Australia's Mandarin-speaking Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has made improving relations with China - its biggest trading partner - a priority.

A month before the arrests, Rio scrapped a $19.5bn deal with China's state-owned Chinalco in favour of a tie-up with rival giant BHP Billiton, which angered some in Beijing.

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