China said yesterday it had evidence proving employees of mining giant Rio Tinto, including an Australian, stole state secrets.
“Competent authorities have sufficient evidence to prove that they have stolen state secrets and have caused huge loss to China’s economic interest and security,” foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang (秦剛) told reporters.
Australian Stern Hu (胡士泰), chief representative of Rio Tinto in Shanghai, was detained on Sunday along with colleagues who are suspected of espionage and stealing state secrets for foreign countries, Qin said yesterday.
Authorities in Shanghai earlier said Hu was being held along with three Chinese nationals who are Rio Tinto sales employees.
Rio is the world’s second- largest iron ore producer and its Shanghai office, where the men worked, focuses on sales and marketing to China.
PROPOSAL
Tensions between China and the miner rose after Rio dumped a proposal from its largest shareholder, state-owned Chinalco (中國鋁業), to inject US$19.5 billion into the firm in favor of a rights issue and joint venture with BHP Billiton.
Asked whether the detention of the four employees was linked to Chinalco’s failed deal, Qin said it would be “improper” to exaggerate the case.
Qin refused to comment on the nature of the state secrets.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said his officials had yet to talk to Hu after his weekend detention and were keen to ensure he had not been mistreated.
“One of the reasons why we want access to him, is to satisfy ourselves as to his welfare, to satisfy ourselves as to his well-being and to get some indication from him as to how we can be of assistance,” Smith told ABC television.
Smith described the spying accusations as “very surprising” and said the government was seeking urgent access to Hu and wanted to know more ahead of tomorrow’s deadline for consular access to Hu by Australian diplomats in China.
IRON ORE
China is Australia’s second-largest export customer behind Japan, buying A$36 billion (US$28 billion) of mostly commodities in the 11 months ended in May. Last year, more than half of China’s imports from Australia were of iron ore.
Rio Tinto has spearheaded difficult talks with China over new iron ore contracts, which missed a key deadline at the end of last month.
Australian media has reported speculation that the detentions were linked to alleged manipulation of the iron ore market, while the Chinese press has accused Rio of withholding products to drive up prices.
The Securities Times quoted unnamed “industry insiders” as speculating the detentions may have been over suspected bribery.
Meanwhile, a Chinese steel executive who had “close contact” with Hu has been detained by Beijing police, the newspaper 21st Century Business Herald reported yesterday.
Tan Yixin (譚以新), general manager of Shougang International Trade Engineering Corp (首鋼國際貿易工程公司), oversaw iron ore purchases, the Herald reported. It gave no indication that the two cases were linked.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique