Australia says Chinese ruling on Australian Rio Tinto executive is a ‘very tough sentence’

Australia: China’s Rio Tinto sentence ‘very tough’

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s foreign minister says the 10-year prison term handed to an Australian employee of mining giant Rio Tinto by a Chinese court is “very tough sentence.”

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith was responding Monday to the conviction and sentencing in a Chinese court of Australian national Stern Hu and three other Rio Tinto workers on charges of bribery and stealing commercial secrets.

Smith said the seven year sentence for Hu on bribery charges seemed to be “very harsh.”

He said there were “serious unanswered questions” about the secrets conviction because that part of the trial was held in secret.

Hu was sentenced to five years on the stealing commercial secrets charges, but will serve 10 years in all, apparently receiving a reduced total because he admitted to bribery.