China office raided, staff detained: Mintz Group

WASHINGTON: On Tuesday, US corporate firm Mintz Group claimed its Beijing office was raided by authorities, followed by its staff being detained as China prepares to host a three-day China Development Forum.

According to a Reuters report, the news comes as relations between China and the US deteriorate after months of ‘diplomatic tensions’ including the incident when the US military shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon. In a statement, the Mintz Group said that the Chinese authorities detained five of their staff in their Beijing office. The statement read: “all of them Chinese nationals, and have closed our operations there”.

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After the company was raided, they said that they were ready to “resolve any misunderstanding that may have led to these events”. Additionally, representatives said they had not received “any official legal notice” about a case against the company while requesting that authorities “release its employees”.

According to Reuters, a source at the company’s New York headquarters said that the company had been raided on the 20th of March following which its employees had been held “incommunicado” in Beijing. As per the company website, the Beijing office is its “only” office in China.

It is worth mentioning that Mintz Group specialized in services including fact-checking, background checking, and internal investigations. It has nearly eighteen offices around the world.

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Of its employees overseeing Asia Operations is Randal Phillips who is based out of China, and is listed as the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)’s former chief representative in China. After leaving the CIA, Phillips worked in Beijing for years but there were no indications the incident was linked to him.

On the other hand, Chinese authorities are gearing up to hold a three-day China Development Forum starting Saturday. The event will gather over a hundred overseas delegates and representatives from international and multinational organizations, respectively.

The source added, “Red alerts should be going off in all boardrooms right now about risks in China”. The incident has raised alarm with the US business community saying it is a signal that Beijing is interested in foreign investment and technology but is unwilling to accept ‘credible’ US firms.

China office raided, staff detained: Mintz Group | Baaghi TV