US due diligence firm’s Beijing office raided, staff detained | Business and Economy

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Reported raid on the Mintz Group office comes as China prepares to hold its annual economic forum.

Chinese authorities have raided the Beijing office of United States due diligence firm Mintz Group and detained five staff, according to a news report citing a source in the company.

The US law firm’s local legal counsel said the raid took place on March 20 and the detained staff were being held incommunicado in a location outside of Beijing, the Reuters news agency reported on Friday, citing a company source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“Last Monday, late in the day, the office was raided and all five of the staff members – they are all PRC (People’s Republic of China) citizens – were detained,” the person said, according to Reuters.

The source said the company did not know the reasons for the raid and had not spoken with authorities but was assessing the potential for data breaches and alerting clients, Reuters said.

Criminal suspects in China can be held for months or even years at a time without being charged or having access to legal representation.

A Mintz Group spokesperson did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment and a call to the firm’s Boston headquarters went unanswered.

The reported raids come as Beijing prepares to host the annual China Development Forum, billed as China’s Davos, from tomorrow for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourlaother and Mercedes-Benz Chairman Ola Kallenius are among the high-profile executives expected to attend the event.