Guard against economic spies
Compared with other countries, China has to amend its legal and systemic loopholes to protect its commercial secrets
The months-long legal dispute involving mining giant Rio Tinto's graft case and violation of China's commercial secrets highlights the urgency for the country to guard against industrial espionage and protect its growing economic activities from similar misdeeds.
On March 29, the Shanghai No 1 Intermediate People's Court sentenced Stern Hu, the Australian executive who led Rio Tinto Group's China iron ore unit, to 10 years' jail for taking bribes from China's steel mills and infringing on its commercial secrets. Three of Hu's Chinese colleagues, Liu Caikui, Wang Yong and Ge Minqiang, were also found guilty and jailed between seven and 14 years.
