China said on Tuesday (May 9th) that the raid on the premises of the US company Capvision was aimed at safeguarding "national security", at a time when Beijing is strengthening surveillance in the consulting and audit sector.
Chinese authorities questioned employees of the US strategy and management consulting giant Bain & Company in Shanghai at the end of April. The group did not elaborate. The previous month, US auditing firm Mintz Group announced the arrest of five of its local employees and the closure of its Beijing office.
'Safeguarding national security'
Capvision, a consulting firm based in New York and China, is now under investigation for its operations in the country, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said Monday. Asked about the case, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Tuesday that the procedure was "in accordance with the law." "This measure aims to promote a healthy development of the sector and safeguard national security," justified this spokesman without giving further details.
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According to CCTV, foreign institutions have used the activities of foreign consulting firms in China to obtain "state secrets" and other sensitive information. In the case of Mintz Group, China's Foreign Ministry said last month that the company was "suspected of illegal operations."
More broadly, some US companies in China say they fear retaliatory measures from Beijing after several sanctions taken by Washington against Chinese companies, especially technology, in the name of "national security". The Chinese internet regulator had announced in April a "review" of the products of the American technology giant Micron, arguing possible "risks" for "national security".