Australian Foreign Minister Meets Chinese on Rio Case

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt—Australia's foreign minister and Chinese officials on Thursday discussed the case of Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu, detained by China on suspicion of stealing state secrets. "I had a meeting with Vice Minister Hu (Yufei) about the Stern Hu case," Stephen Smith told Reuters, declining to give further details.

The meeting was the most senior yet between Canberra and Beijing since the detention of four China-based Rio Tinto staff, including Australian national Hu, earlier this month. It followed a warning from Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to China on Wednesday that the world was watching the case closely.

China said the Rio staff obtained sensitive information to aid Rio in price negotiations for iron ore.

Chinese officials declined to comment on the details of the talks, held on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Smith told local television before leaving for Egypt: "It is essential, in the Australian government's view, that this matter now be dealt with expeditiously."