Chinese authorities detain staff, raid office of U.S. corporate due diligence firm Mintz Group

The closed office of the Mintz Group, in Beijing, on March 24.GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images Chinese authorities raided the office of U.S. corporate due diligence firm Mintz Group in Beijing and detained five local staff, the company said, putting foreign companies in China on alert just as the country hosts an international economic forum. News of the raid and detentions comes as Sino-U.S. relations have spiralled downwards following months of diplomatic tensions, including over the U.S. military downing in February of a suspected Chinese spy balloon and a planned U.S. transit next week by the president of Taiwan, the self-governed island…