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SHANGHAI: Four employees of Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto were to go on trial Monday in a case that has strained ties with Canberra and raised questions about rule of law in China.
Australian national Stern Hu and three Chinese staff are being tried in a Shanghai court on bribery and trade secrets charges.
Canberra has called for transparency in the three-day trial, but hearings on the industrial espionage charges will be closed, adding to questions over whether the men will get a fair hearing in the politically charged case.
A crowd of about 50 journalists gathered outside the Shanghai No 1 Intermediate People's Court early Monday but only a few reporters, who appeared to be from state-run domestic media, were allowed in.
Australian Consul-General Tom Connor declined to comment to reporters as he headed into the courthouse but said he would speak later.
AFP was unable to immediately confirm whether the trial had begun at the scheduled time of 8.30am (0030 GMT). Court employees said they could not confirm what was going on inside.
The four defendants were arrested last July during contentious iron ore contract negotiations which later collapsed, and after Rio snubbed a near 20-billion-dollar cash injection from state-run Chinese mining firm Chinalco.
The trial is being widely seen as a test of whether China is willing to honour commitments to foreign investors and be a responsible member of the world community.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd warned China on Thursday the "world will be watching" the trial.
Australia has said consular officials will attend trial sessions on the bribe-taking charges and it had asked China to reconsider the closure of the trade secrets hearings.
Beijing has insisted the case will be handled by the book and it will "fully guarantee" the rights of the defendants, who include Chinese nationals Wang Yong, Ge Minqiang and Liu Caikui.
- AFP/sc
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