ADELAIDE: Bribery allegations against four Rio Tinto Ltd. employees detained in China are "wholly without foundation," the mining giant said Friday, as Australia continued to press Beijing for details of a case that is straining ties between the two nations.
Rio Tinto's iron ore chief executive Sam Walsh said the company is very concerned about its employees, who were detained July 5 on spying charges while Rio was acting as lead negotiator for global iron ore suppliers in contentious price talks with Chinese steel mills.