Australian mining firm Rio Tinto has evacuated all of its staff in China involved in research of the iron ore and steel industries, Reuters reported, citing an unsourced report in the Australian Financial Review. The move was made in response to the detention of some of Rio Tinto’s iron ore traders in Shanghai by state authorities. According to the report, other "foreign groups" are following Rio Tinto’s lead and moving employees out of China. Rio Tinto spokesman Ian Head said he could not immediately comment on the report. Stern Hu, who heads Rio Tinto’s iron ore marketing in China, was recently detained on suspicion of stealing state secrets along with three other members of the company’s iron ore team.
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