China Raises Fines on Mintz Due-Diligence Firm


中国对美思明智集团北京办事处追加罚款，称这家总部位于纽约的尽职调查公司未能对此前因涉嫌从事未经批准的统计工作而受到的处罚做出回应。


2023年3月，美思明智集团北京办事处遭到突击搜查。

中国对美思明智集团(Mintz Group)北京办事处追加罚款，称这家总部位于纽约的尽职调查公司未能对此前因涉嫌从事未经批准的统计工作而受到的处罚做出回应。 6park.com
China imposed more fines on the Beijing arm of Mintz Group, saying the New York-based due-diligence firm failed to respond to earlier penalties meted out over allegedly unapproved statistical work.  6park.com
    
大约一年前，中国有关部门突击搜查了美思明智的北京办事处，并拘留了在此工作的所有五名中国公民。此举令国际社会担心，中国以安全为由对在本地收集和管理数据的公司进行的整治活动正在扩大，而且在中国开展业务的风险也在增加。 6park.com
The increased fines came about a year after authorities raided Mintz’s Beijing office and detained all five Chinese nationals working there—a move that fueled international concern over a broadening security crackdown on companies that collect and manage data in China and the heightened risks of doing business in the world’s second-largest economy. 6park.com
   
作为一家尽职调查公司，美思明智提供的服务包括对潜在商业伙伴、竞争对手和新员工进行背景审查和调查。 6park.com
As a due-diligence firm, Mintz offers services such as background checks and investigations on potential business partners, rivals and new hires. 6park.com
   
在上个月发布的一份通知中，北京市统计局责令美思明智北京办事处额外支付相当于约74.4万美元的罚款，使罚款总额增加了50%，达到约220万美元。北京市统计局指出，美思明智未遵守去年7月作出的处罚，也未对处罚申请复议。 6park.com
In a notice issued last month, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics ordered Mintz’s Beijing office to pay the equivalent of about $744,000 in additional fines, raising the total penalties by 50% to roughly $2.2 million. The bureau cited Mintz’s failure to comply with or appeal the existing penalties that were issued in July. 6park.com
    
虽然中国政府过去曾容忍企业调查业务，但在中国领导人习近平上台后10年间，有关部门收紧了对该行业的审查。近年来，有关部门往往以担心国家安全受到威胁为由，对获取商业数据施加越来越大的限制。 6park.com
While Beijing has in the past tolerated the corporate-investigations business, authorities have put the industry under greater scrutiny in the decade since Chinese leader Xi Jinping took power. Authorities have increasingly limited access to business data in recent years, often invoking concerns over threats to national security. 6park.com
   
在2023年3月突击搜查美思明智几周后，北京市统计局于4月下旬发出通知称，该公司涉嫌未依法报经批准取得涉外统计调查资格。通知称，美思明智将面临约人民币1,070万元（约合150万美元）的经济处罚，其中一半为没收非法所得，另一半为罚款。具体有待该公司是否进行申辩。 6park.com
Weeks after the March 2023 raid against Mintz, Beijing’s statistics bureau issued a notice in late April saying that the company had allegedly conducted “foreign-related statistical investigations” without seeking and obtaining approvals for such work. It said Mintz was facing financial penalties worth about 10.7 million yuan, or about $1.5 million, half in confiscated illegal proceeds and the other half in fines—pending an appeal from the company. 6park.com
  
随后，该局于当年7月责令美思明智支付罚款。该命令后来被公布在该局的网站上，并附有一则通知，称有关部门无法联系到美思明智的法定代表人，执法人员现场及邮寄方式均无法送达文书。 6park.com
Then in July, the bureau ordered Mintz to pay the financial penalties. That order was later posted on the bureau’s website with a notice saying that authorities hadn’t been able to reach Mintz’s legal representative nor deliver the ruling to the company in person or through the mail. 6park.com
   
在上个月标注日期为2月22日的通知中，该局表示将把对美思明智的人民币534万元罚款增加一倍。这是中国法律允许有关部门对未缴纳罚款的公司进行加处罚款的最高倍数限额，加处罚款的总额不得超过原罚款金额。 6park.com
In the notice last month, dated Feb. 22, the bureau said it is doubling the 5.34 million yuan fine on Mintz—the maximum increase permitted under a Chinese law that allows authorities to punish unpaid fines with additional penalties, capped at the value of the original fine. 6park.com
   
北京市统计局称，美思明智有权在收到上述通知的三天内提出陈述和申辩。通知称，如果该公司不陈述和申辩，该局将依法申请法院强制执行。 6park.com
The bureau said Mintz had the right to provide statements and argue its case within three days of receiving the notice. If the company failed to do so, the bureau would seek a court order to enforce the financial penalties, according to the notice. 6park.com
   
目前尚不清楚美思明智是否收到了2月22日的通知，也不清楚该公司是否打算对这一加处罚款提出行政复议。去年被拘留的五名美思明智员工目前的状况也无法确定。 6park.com
It wasn’t clear if Mintz had received the Feb. 22 notice or whether it intended to appeal the additional fines. The current status of the five Mintz employees detained last year couldn’t be determined. 6park.com
   
美思明智暂未回应置评请求。该公司此前曾表示，已获得在中国开展业务的许可，并在法律允许的范围内透明经营。 6park.com
Mintz didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The company previously said that it is licensed to do business in China and operates transparently and within the law. 6park.com
   
北京市统计局网站2月28日发布了这份最新处罚通知。美思明智尚未公布其受到的经济处罚。 6park.com
The latest notice was posted on the bureau’s website on Feb. 28. Mintz hasn’t publicized any of the financial penalties that it has received.  6park.com
   
北京市统计局在去年公布的处罚决定书中称，美思明智在2019年3月至2022年7月进行的37个项目涉外调查过程中，存在未依法报经批准取得涉外统计调查资格，从事涉外统计调查活动的行为。该裁决书没有详细说明此类调查的性质。 6park.com
In disclosures last year, the Beijing statistics bureau alleged that Mintz had engaged in unapproved foreign-related statistical investigations across 37 projects conducted from March 2019 to July 2022. The bureau didn’t give details on the nature of such investigations.  6park.com
   
根据北京市统计局的说法，美思明智违反了中国的两部法规，分别涉及统计工作和“涉外调查”。这些法规要求任何希望在中国进行统计调查的外国组织和个人，必须通过具有必要资质的机构开展此类涉外调查工作。 6park.com
According to the bureau, Mintz was deemed to have violated provisions in two sets of Chinese government regulations, related to statistical work and “foreign-related investigations” respectively. These provisions require any foreign groups and individuals that wish to conduct statistical investigations in China to engage organizations with the necessary qualifications to carry out such “foreign-related” investigative work. 6park.com
   
过去一年，中国加大了对外国企业的监管审查力度，对一些公司进行了突查和法律审查。有关部门还拘留了一些外国企业高管，在某些情况下甚至禁止他们离开中国大陆，这加剧了人们对前往中国进行商务旅行的担忧。 6park.com
China has ratcheted up regulatory scrutiny on foreign businesses over the past year, launching raids and legal reviews against a number of companies. Authorities have also detained some executives at foreign companies or in some cases blocked them from leaving mainland China—fueling worries about business travel to the country. 6park.com
   
曾咨询过中国有关部门的企业高管表示，北京方面正试图对有关中国治理和发展的叙事进行更严格的控制，并对审计公司、管理咨询公司和律师事务所等外国机构收集的可能影响外界对中国看法的信息施加限制。 6park.com
Business executives who have consulted with Chinese authorities say Beijing is seeking to more tightly control the narrative about China’s governance and development, and limit the information collected by foreign companies such as auditors, management consultants and law firms that could influence how the outside world views China.