US corporate due diligence firm Mintz Group said on Thursday (March 16) that its office in Beijing was raided by Chinese authorities and that five company employees were detained. This has put foreign companies in China on alert in the run up to international economic forum due to take place in the country.
Relations between the US and China have spiralled downwards after months of diplomatic tension over many issues including that of US military downing a suspected Chinese spy balloon last month.
“We can confirm that Chinese authorities have detained the five staff in Mintz Group’s Beijing office, all of them Chinese nationals, and have closed our operations there,” the company said in an emailed statement to Reuters late on Thursday.
It said it was ready to work with the Chinese authorities to “resolve any misunderstanding that may have led to these events”, and that its top concern was the safety and wellbeing of colleagues in China.
“Mintz Group has not received any official legal notice regarding a case against the company and has requested that the authorities release its employees,” the company said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday she was not aware of this case.
Reuters said citing sources that the raid had occurred on the afternoon of March 20 and that the employees were being held somewhere outside Beijing.
As per Mintz Group’s website, the Beijing office is its only one in mainland China. The website says the company specialises in background checking, fact gathering and internal investigations. Its wide-ranging clients include the National Football League, New York City and The Beatles, according to media reports.
(With inputs from agencies)
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