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 to local iron ore business consolidation, he said, "The foreign ministry has already said this is an individual case, and it has no relation to other things."

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

On reports that China plans to tighten rules on iron ore imports, Zou said, "China is always planning to reshape its iron ore import system."

The government's long-term strategy has always been to reduce the number of iron ore import licenses, he said.

He declined to confirm media reports Tuesday that suggested the government was planning to cut 20 licenses.

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