18 GSK employees held in Zhengzhou

At least 18 GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.NYSE, GSK.LON) employees are being held in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou in relation to a probe into the British pharma giant’s China operations, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing state-run China National Radio. The state media report did not provide additional details about when Zhengzhou authorities approached the GSK employees or what actions have been taken against them. It also wasn’t clear whether the personnel are being formally detained under Chinese law, which gives authorities broad powers to hold witnesses and potential suspects alike.