China's iron ore term price negotiations with global mining majors are still going on, a consultant to the China Iron and Steel Association said Wednesday.

Zou Jian, a consultant and former executive director of the association, said he is unsure whether the talks, now entangled in China's espionage charges against four employees of Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto Plc (RTP), could be completed by the end of July.

When asked if the Rio Tinto spy case is related with local iron ore business consolidation, he said, "The foreign ministry has already said this is an individual case, and it has no relation with other things."

It isn't clear whether media reports on a widening government probe implicating Chinese steel firms were reliable, he said.

-Juan Chen contributed to this report, Dow Jones Newswires; 8610 6588 5848; juan.chen@dowjones.com