China Detained Local Employee of Japanese Metals Firm, Nikkei reports

The Chinese government detained a local employee of a Japanese metals trading company in March, the Nikkei newspaper reported Sunday, citing unidentified people familiar with relations between the two countries.

The Japanese firm deals in non-ferrous metals including rare earths, according to the Nikkei. There is no clarity on why the person was held, but an employee of a Chinese state-owned enterprise that processes and sells such metals was also detained, the report said.