Aus slams 'tough' China sentence
2010-03-29 20:02
Sydney - Australia slammed the "very tough" bribery sentence handed to Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu in China on Monday and said there were "serious questions" about the trial, but insisted it would not hurt ties.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith described the seven-year bribery term as "harsh" and hit out at Chinese authorities for denying Australian diplomats access to the commercial secrets hearings. Hu was jailed for 10 years in total.
"On any measure this was a very tough sentence. It's a tough sentence by Australian standards," Smith told a specially arranged press conference.
"I feel very much for Stern Hu and his family. Whilst we do not condone bribery in any way I think the sentence, on any measure, is harsh," he added.
Smith also called the commercial secrets lock-out "very regrettable" and said it raised questions for foreign businesses operating in the emerging economic giant.
"This of course was very regrettable, a part of the trial to which Australian officials did not have access to," he said.
"And as a consequence of that I think there were serious unanswered questions which go to that part of the trial, and go to that matter so far as Stern Hu is concerned but also more generally and more widely to the Australian business community and to the international business community."
Ties in tact
Smith expressed confidence that the case, which caused a brief plunge in ties with China last year, would not cause any long-term damage to Australia's relationship with its top trading partner.
"I don't believe that the decision that has been made will have any substantial or indeed any adverse implications for Australia's bilateral relationship with China," he said.
"We did go through some tensions or some difficulties last year, but whilst this has been a sensitive, very important and very difficult consular case, I don't believe that what has occurred today will have an adverse impact on our own relationship."
"We continue to have a very strong economic and broader relationship with China."
