By: John Garnaut, Beijing

Three weeks ago, global strategy chief Doug Ritchie checked into Shanghai's downtown Four Seasons hotel to find the entire floor had been cleared of other guests. His only companion was Ian Bauert, Rio's global head of iron ore marketing, who had arrived before him. Plain-clothed officers proceeded to shadow their every move across town.

A statement on a Government website said the Shanghai State Security Bureau found Hu and his colleagues stole and obtained secrets by "bribing internal staff of Chinese steel companies".

"This has caused huge loss to China's national economic security and interests," it said.

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