Rio Tinto Group, the World’s third- largest mining company, favors strong trade ties with China, one of the top emerging economies in the developing World. The company considers China as a good source of its revenue and growth, apparently due to of rising commodity demand in the country due to expansion of economy.

Speaking to media, Rio Tinto Chief Financial Officer Guy Elliott, added, “We would like to build relationships with China and I think that can take place over a number of different areas.”

Earlier, relations between the mining firm and China turned bitter when country’s authorities arrested its four employees in August for allegedly obtaining trade secrets and bribery in China that accounted around a quarter of its revenue last year. However, the London-based company termed the charges false backing its head of iron ore unit in China, Liu, Wang Yong and Ge Minqiang.