中企入股歐洲地圖企業(yè)遭美國監(jiān)管機構(gòu)阻撓

Chinese investors seeking to buy a stake in a European mapping company were told to “apply directly” to the US president after their €241m offer failed to win regulatory approval, according to one of the bidders.

試圖入股一家歐洲地圖企業(yè)的中國投資者提出的2.41億歐元的收購要約未能獲得監(jiān)管部門批準，其中一家競標者表示，他們被告知向美國總統(tǒng)“直接申請”。

Beijing-based NavInfo, a mapping provider for tech giant Tencent, together with Tencent and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC agreed last year to buy a 10 per cent stake in Amsterdam-headquartered Here to provide high-resolution maps of China for autonomous cars. The mapping technology company is owned by German carmakers Audi, BMW and Daimler, and US chipmaker Intel.

去年，總部位于北京、為科技巨頭騰訊(Tencent)提供地圖的四維圖新(NavInfo)聯(lián)手騰訊和新加坡主權(quán)財富基金“政府投資公司”(GIC)，簽約買入總部位于阿姆斯特丹的Here公司10%股權(quán)，以便為自動駕駛汽車提供高分辨率中國地圖。Here是一家地圖技術(shù)公司，現(xiàn)有股東包括德國車企奧迪(Audi)、寶馬(BMW)和戴姆勒(Daimler)以及美國芯片制造商英特爾(Intel)。

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US weighed in on the deal, which received the green light from German regulators in January, due to Here’s assets in Chicago. Cfius made NavInfo and its fellow investors go through multiple hoops, but did not ultimately approve the deal.

今年1月，這筆交易獲得了德國監(jiān)管機構(gòu)的批準，但由于Here公司在芝加哥持有資產(chǎn)，美國外國投資委員會(CFIUS)也介入了這一交易。CFIUS讓四維圖新等投資者接受多道審核，但沒有最終批準該交易。

“[Cfius] didn’t stop us from reapplying again, and actually recommended we apply directly to [US President Donald] Trump,” said NavInfo.

“(CFIUS)并未阻止我們再次進行申請，而且實際上建議我們直接向(美國總統(tǒng))特朗普申請，”四維圖新表示。

“We think there are two main reasons: the whole atmosphere after the election has changed at Cfius, and we hear there are not enough employees,” the company added, suggesting the new and smaller team at Cfius was more likely to withhold approval.

“我們認為這里有兩個主要原因：一是大選后CFIUS的整體氛圍發(fā)生了變化，二是我們聽說它連雇員都不夠，”該公司補充說，暗示CFIUS規(guī)模較小的新團隊更傾向于擱置批準。

The Here decision comes at a time when China-US relations have been strained by Mr Trump’s harsh rhetoric against Chinese trade, as well as foreign policy disagreements over North Korea.

針對Here的決定出爐之際，特朗普在美國對華貿(mào)易上的強硬措辭，以及兩國圍繞朝鮮的外交政策分歧，都令美中關(guān)系陷入緊張。

Mr Trump earlier this month blocked a $1.3bn plan by Canyon Bridge, a China-backed private equity group, to acquire Lattice Semiconductor. Financial holdings company China Oceanwide is in the midst of re-filing an application to Cfius to acquire Virginia-based insurer Genworth Financial for $2.7bn.

本月早些時候，特朗普阻止了中資背景的私人股本集團Canyon Bridge斥資13億美元收購美國芯片制造商萊迪思半導(dǎo)體(Lattice Semiconductor)的計劃。金融控股公司中國泛海(China Oceanwide)正重新向CFIUS提交申請——以27億美元收購總部位于弗吉尼亞州的保險公司Genworth Financial。

As Beijing has moved to rein in an ambitious spate of offshore dealmaking by private groups, Chinese outbound investment by government-backed groups soared in the first half of the year to $28.7bn, despite scrutiny overseas over national security concerns.

隨著北京開始遏制民營集團一系列雄心勃勃的海外交易，有政府背景的中資集團的對外投資在今年上半年飆升至287億美元，盡管在海外受到出于國家安全擔(dān)憂的密切關(guān)注。

“For the past six months [Cfius] has continuously asked us to change our application, but even the emails they gave us were very vague, and just mentioned ‘national security reasons’,” NavInfo said on Wednesday.

四維圖新周三表示：“過去半年里(美國外國投資委員會)不斷要求我們修改申請，但他們給我們的電子郵件非常含糊，僅提到‘國家安全原因’。”

NavInfo said Cfius had told the consortium to refile its application, which it did, giving up investor rights such as shareholder votes, but the group still did not receive approval and does not understand why. The consortium decided to drop the deal rather than apply directly to the US president, NavInfo said.

四維圖新表示，美國外國投資委員會曾讓收購財團重新提交申請，該財團照辦了，它放棄了股東投票等投資者權(quán)利，但該財團仍然沒有獲得批準，而且不明白為什么。四維圖新表示，該財團決定放棄交易，而不去直接向美國總統(tǒng)提出申請。

The company added that although the decision changes its plans for shareholding, it will not affect its mapping projects with Here, with which it has a joint venture in China. NavInfo said it will cancel the loan it had arranged with BNP Paribas to finance its part of the acquisition.

該公司同時表示，雖然這一決定改變了其持股計劃，但不會影響其與Here的地圖項目，四維圖新與Here在中國有一個合資企業(yè)。四維圖新表示，將取消此前與法國巴黎銀行(BNP Paribas)為資助這次收購所安排的貸款。

Tencent and GIC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

騰訊和新加坡政府投資公司沒有立即回應(yīng)置評請求。

Additional reporting by Rochelle Toplensky in Brussels

羅謝爾•托普蘭斯基(Rochelle Toplensky)布魯塞爾補充報道