The Wire

The trial of Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu and 3 of his collegues began today in Shanghai. The men are accused of stealing commercial secrets and giving and taking bribes. Even as the trial got under way, the head of Rio Tinto Tom Albanese was in Beijing courting closer ties with the Chinese government and with its state-owned resource companies. Meanwhile the Australian consular officials have been denied the right to observe some parts of the trial, despite a diplomatic agreement between Australia and China that provides for consular oversight.