Some Hong Kong-based staff with U.S. consultancy Mintz Group have left the city after the firm's Beijing office was raided by Chinese police in March, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter.
Investigations by Chinese authorities into Mintz, as well as U.S. management consultancy Bain & Co and mainland consultancy Capvision Partners, have sent a chill through companies that deal with China, with many unclear where red lines stand as Beijing prepares to introduce stricter anti-espionage laws in July.
One source with direct knowledge of the matter, and four other sources briefed by Mintz employees, said the firm had engaged in corporate due diligence work examining the possible use of forced labour in supply chains linked to China's Xinjiang region up until this year. No one was present when Reuters visited the Hong Kong office of Mintz during business hours, with the doors locked and lights off. A building management office employee said Mintz was still paying rent on its office but two employees at neighbouring offices said no one had been seen in the Mintz premises in the past few months.
As a global financial centre, Hong Kong has a deep pool of professional services talent, including in corporate investigations, with international firms including Kroll, Control Risks, McKinsey and FTI based there. China's State Council Information Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.A spate of laws and regulations enacted during President Xi Jinping's rule - including laws on cybersecurity, personal information protection, data security, as well as the upcoming anti-espionage law that will ban the transfer of any information related to national security - have complicated the landscape for compliance.
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