Rio Tinto detentions may hurt confidence in China, Australia's Bowen says

China´s detention of Rio Tinto Group executive Stern Hu may damage "certainty" for foreign businesses, Australian Financial Services and Corporate Law Minister Chris Bowen said. "The Chinese government would be very aware it is not good for business certainty," Bowen told Network Ten´s Meet the Press program today. "It is a concern for Australian and other foreign business people working in China that this could happen." Trade Minister Simon Crean met with Shanghai Government Deputy Secretary General Sha Hailin yesterday about the detention. Crean expressed Australia´s "concern" about Hu´s welfare and said it wanted the case dealt with "expeditiously."

Hu was detained in Shanghai together with three other Rio employees, the London-based company said last week. Chinese authorities "established the evidence before they took action against anyone," China foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said three days ago at a regular news briefing in Beijing.