Sydney - An Australian national living in Shanghai and working for giant Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto Ltd has been detained in China on spying charges, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith said Wednesday. Stern Hu, together with three other Rio executives, was detained Sunday on "espionage and stealing state secrets."
Smith said he learned of the allegations from officials in China and the acting Chinese ambassador in Canberra.
He said consular officials were seeking access to Hu.
"This afternoon Australian officials were advised that the reason for Mr Hu's detention was that he was being detained on the suspicion of espionage and stealing state secrets," Smith told reporters in Perth.
