Hong Kong — A Chinese consultancy that has previously helped to win antitrust battles against Coca-Cola and Apple has taken aim at McDonald’s, arguing in a complaint to regulators that the fast-food giant’s Chinese sale may hurt workers and consumers. McDonald’s said in January that it had agreed to sell the bulk of its China and Hong Kong business to state-backed conglomerate CITIC and US private equity firm The Carlyle Group for up to $2.1bn. Under the deal, the consortium will act as the master franchisee for 20 years. The complaint, which follows allegations from a US labour union that the transaction is likely to lead to worse pay and conditions for 120,000 McDonald’s workers in China, could delay regulatory approval for the deal. Hejun Vanguard Group, a Chinese management consultancy that has a track record of representing domestic companies against foreign firms, filed two separate complaints against McDonald’s with the ministry of commerce’s antimonopoly bureau and its franc...
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