Qualcomm to meet China regulators in push to clear US$44 billion NXP deal
BEIJING: Qualcomm Inc (Qualcomm) is expecting to meet this week in Beijing with China’s antitrust regulators in a final push to secure clearance for its proposed US$ 44 billion ( 37.74 billion pounds) acquisition of NXP Semiconductors NV (NXP), three sources told Reuters.
The acquisition has been caught in the crosshairs of rising US- China trade tensions, with sources saying an approval would depend on the progress of broader bilateral talks. The deal has got a nod from eight of the nine required global regulators, with Chinese clearance the only one pending.
Qualcomm is likely to meet Chinese regulators before US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross arrives in China on Saturday, the sources briefed on Qualcomm’s discussions said.
A Qualcomm team and officials from the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) met in Beijing on Friday and had “productive” talks, the sources said.
The San Diego- based firm is now ‘cautiously optimistic’ the deal will go forward, one of the sources said, amid recent indications of a thaw in US- China trade tensions that has seen both sides propose tens of billions of dollars in tariffs.
On Friday, the Trump administration said it had reached a deal that would put ZTE Corp ( ZTE) back in business after the Chinese telecommunications company pays a US$ 1.3 billion fine and makes management changes.
Resolving the ZTE sales ban has been of chief importance to China’s leadership. The firm was banned in April from buying US technology components for seven years after breaking an agreement it reached for violating US sanctions against Iran and North Korea.
“It feels as though it’s getting close to the end,” said the source quoted above.
Qualcomm is now preparing a new submission to SAMR aimed at providing final guarantees and assurances, the sources said.
China’s market regulator did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment outside of business hours. — Reuters