Foreign Executives in China Ask ‘Who’s Next?’ After Bain Probe

  • Chinese authorities questioned staff at Bain’s Shanghai office
  • ‘Our business community is spooked’: Amcham China president

A flag raising ceremony in Shanghai.

Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
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Just as China’s leaders look to attract more overseas investment, expatriates in the world’s second-biggest economy are becoming worried about a potential fresh wave of probes targeting foreign companies.

US consultancy Bain & Company confirmed this week that Chinese authorities questioned staff at its Shanghai office, without revealing details on the nature of the investigation. That followed a series of actions taken against other foreign companies, including a raidBloomberg Terminal last month of New York-based due diligence firm Mintz Group’s Beijing operations and the detention of an employee of Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma Inc. just days later.