Rio Tinto says China detains 4 staff

LONDON (Reuters) - Four employees of global mining giant Rio Tinto in Shanghai have been detained by Chinese authorities, the firm said on Tuesday.

Rio, which last month scrapped a $19.5 billion (12 billion pounds) deal with Chinese state-owned metals group Chinalco, said it was unclear why the employees were detained on Sunday.

"It appears four employees from Rio Tinto's Shanghai office have been detained for questioning by the Chinese authorities," spokesman Nick Cobban said.

"We haven't been able to make contact with them since and we've asked the Chinese authorities for an explanation and we're haven't received anything from them."

Three of the four being detained by the Public Security Bureau are Chinese citizens, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported.

The fourth is an Australian passport holder, it said, citing a government source, and said the Australian government is demanding that Beijing grant consular access.

Rio's Cobhan said the Shanghai office is mainly a sales and marketing office for Rio, the world's second biggest iron ore producer, which is listed in London and Sydney.

"Obviously China is a very big market for us particularly in terms of iron ore, so we have quite a significant presence in China." He declined to give the employees' names or nationalities.

"Rio Tinto intends to co-operate fully with any investigation the Chinese authorities may wish to undertake and has sought clarification on what has occurred," the company said in a statement.