China detains staff, raids office of US due diligence firm Mintz Group

Chinese authorities raided the office of US corporate due diligence firm Mintz Group in Beijing and detained five local staff, the company said, stoking concern among foreign companies in China just as it hosts an international economic forum. 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 suspected 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…