SHANGHAI -- Several large U.S. corporations have been ensnared in China's anticorruption drive, according to state-run news organizations, which reported details Friday of a bribery investigation.
Some of the 22 people detained because of allegations that they accepted $500,000 in bribes from four Chinese computer-network equipment companies were employees of McDonald's Corp., Whirlpool Corp. and consulting firm McKinsey & Co.
The local companies were not identified, but the Shanghai Daily and other news organizations said two local employees of New York-based McKinsey had taken about $270,000 in bribes before awarding contracts for equipment orders. Smaller amounts allegedly were accepted by the local offices of McDonald's and Whirlpool, among others.
The reports were attributed to Shanghai police, who declined to comment. No formal charges have been announced, according to state-run media.
A McKinsey representative in Shanghai said Friday: "We do not have any other information than what we are also reading in the Chinese press. The company itself has not in any way been accused of any wrongdoing in this case."
Appliance maker Whirlpool, based in Benton Harbor, Mich., issued a similar statement.
A spokesman for McDonald's, which is based in Oak Brook, Ill., said Friday that the incident occurred several months earlier and that the company had immediately fired an employee detained in the investigation.
Although corruption cases are often reported in the Chinese media, allegations involving staff at foreign companies have been rare. In past years, some legal experts said, the Chinese government prevented domestic media from reporting negative news about multinational firms, wanting to protect their reputations in the interest of securing more foreign investment in China.
But the central government has identified fighting graft as a priority. Rampant corruption has sparked unrest in many places in China and threatens to undermine the Communist Party's authority. In recent months, Beijing has ousted a number of officials suspected of abusing their power, including Shanghai's party leader.
At the same time, scholars and lawyers say, the government is putting more attention on corruption in business cases.
"The current situation of commercial bribery in our country is quite serious," said Chen Baoku, a law professor at Nankai University in Tianjin.
