China Nabs Staffers Of U.S. Diligence Firm In Beijing

Chinese authorities raided the office of US corporate due diligence firm Mintz Group in Beijing and detained five local staffers, the company said, putting foreign firms in China on alert just as the country hosts an international economic forum, Michael Martina and Yew Lun Tian reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Mintz Group reps said the company had not received any official legal notice regarding a case and a request has been made for authorities to release its employees.

News of the raid and detentions comes as Sino-US relations have spiraled downwards following months of diplomatic tensions, including over the US military downing in February of a Chinese spy balloon and a planned US transit next week by the president of Taiwan, the self-governed island China claims as its territory.

"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 told 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 well-being 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, Laurie Chen and Joe Cash also reported for Reuters.

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