The Rio Tinto court case should be strict-ly regarded as a commercial one. Any attempt to politicize it will adversely impact the growth of Sino-Australian bilateral ties.

The Chinese government has reiterated that the case, involving Stern Hu, an Australian citizen, and his three Chinese colleagues, will be heard and tried according to Chinese law.

A three-day trial of the four employees of Australian iron ore giant Rio Tinto was concluded in Shanghai on Wednesday, with all the defendants acknowledging the truth to some of the bribery charges. The four have also been charged with stealing commercial secrets.