Rio Tinto staff face secret China trial on bribe charges

China will put four staff working for mining giant Rio Tinto on trial for alleged bribery and commercial espionage on Monday, the Australian government said today.

Initial proceedings will be in public but the trial will then be held in secret, prompting Australia to say it has "asked for this to be reconsidered".

The four Rio staff, who include one Australian citizen and three Chinese, have been held since July.

Rio Tinto and other miners such as BHP Billiton and Brazil's Vale are anxiously watching the case, which has raised concerns about doing business in China.

China alleges the Rio suspects sought "massive bribes from a number of Chinese steel firms".