Chinese again reverting to type
Discussion
Clucking Bells!!!!!
Rio Tinto executives arrested in China
Rio Tinto's iron ore sales team has been arrested in Shanghai, threatening a diplomatic rift between Australia and China.
Officers from China's Public Security Bureau are reported to have raided the Anglo-Australian mining group's Shanghai offices and removed computers used by each of the four executives, who have been detained since Sunday.
The Australian Government is today seeking urgent consular access to Stern Hu, an Australian passport holder among the arrested men. The other three men are Chinese passport holders. The company and Australian diplomats have been given no reason for the arrests.
The Age newspaper in Melbourne quoted a source as saying: "They just failed to turn up to work on Monday and have disappeared." The newspaper also reported that Mr Hu had failed to answer his mobile phone on Tuesday night.
“The reasons for these actions are unclear. Rio Tinto intends to co-operate fully with any investigation the Chinese authorities may wish to undertake and has sought clarification on what has occurred,” the company said in a statement.
The arrests come amid bitter negotiations over iron ore sale contracts and Chinese fury over Rio Tinto's decision earlier this year to abandon a $19.5 billion (£12 billion) deal with Chinalco, the state-owned metals group, in favour of a joint venture with BHP Billiton, its bitter rival.
Rio and other iron ore suppliers are locked in discussions with China’s steel mills about iron ore pricing for 2009-10. These issues have not been resolved even though many contracts expired on 30 June. Rio has refused Chinese demands for a bigger price cut.
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as I said clucking bells!!!
Rio Tinto executives arrested in China
Rio Tinto's iron ore sales team has been arrested in Shanghai, threatening a diplomatic rift between Australia and China.
Officers from China's Public Security Bureau are reported to have raided the Anglo-Australian mining group's Shanghai offices and removed computers used by each of the four executives, who have been detained since Sunday.
The Australian Government is today seeking urgent consular access to Stern Hu, an Australian passport holder among the arrested men. The other three men are Chinese passport holders. The company and Australian diplomats have been given no reason for the arrests.
The Age newspaper in Melbourne quoted a source as saying: "They just failed to turn up to work on Monday and have disappeared." The newspaper also reported that Mr Hu had failed to answer his mobile phone on Tuesday night.
“The reasons for these actions are unclear. Rio Tinto intends to co-operate fully with any investigation the Chinese authorities may wish to undertake and has sought clarification on what has occurred,” the company said in a statement.
The arrests come amid bitter negotiations over iron ore sale contracts and Chinese fury over Rio Tinto's decision earlier this year to abandon a $19.5 billion (£12 billion) deal with Chinalco, the state-owned metals group, in favour of a joint venture with BHP Billiton, its bitter rival.
Rio and other iron ore suppliers are locked in discussions with China’s steel mills about iron ore pricing for 2009-10. These issues have not been resolved even though many contracts expired on 30 June. Rio has refused Chinese demands for a bigger price cut.
read full story
as I said clucking bells!!!
There is a difference between political activists and this situation though.
Be interesting if they try this with a more... errr... military oriented country than Oz and one that is not so outnumbered in sheer population numbers.
If the reports are accurate this is outrageous behaviour.
Be interesting if they try this with a more... errr... military oriented country than Oz and one that is not so outnumbered in sheer population numbers.
If the reports are accurate this is outrageous behaviour.
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