Germany takes steps to fend off Chinese takeovers

THE German government is taking steps to counter a surge in Chinese bids for stakes in German technology companies, including the creation of a billion-euro fund that could rescue such firms in financial trouble, a government source said.

Senior officials are also working on changes to foreign trade regulations to ensure that key technologies remain in German hands. These would include government reviews of foreign acquisitions of stakes in companies below the current 25 per cent threshold and expanding which types of purchases must be examined.

“This is an issue that we are working on very intensely,” said the source, who was not authorised to speak publicly.

Berlin was galvanised into action by the surprise takeover of robotics firm Kuka by China’s Midea in 2016 and the purchase earlier this year of a 9.7 per cent stake in Daimler by Chinese carmaker Geely.

Chinese companies completed 30 acquisitions in Germany last year, nearly double the number for 2016, and Chinese proposals accounted for 40 per cent of the 165 reviews of foreign takeover plans in the last three years, the source said.

“China is working diligently to close technology gaps and dominate the world market with new technologies,” the source said.

Chinese firms, some state-owned, were particularly interested in German companies with special know-how, startups in the area of new technologies, and companies active in critical infrastructure fields, the source added.

As a last resort, the government also wants to set up a fund that could help companies if no private investors could be found to replace a possible Chinese bidder, or if guarantees by the state development bank KfW were not sufficient.

“We are talking about one billion euros that would be available as a last resort,” the source said, adding that the money could also be used proactively to support development of key technologies by German firms.