China Blocks SoftBank's $5.4 Billion Acquisition of ABB's Robotics Business in China

Washington — 

ABB Group, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, stated on Thursday (November 5) that the Chinese government has notified the Japanese investment group SoftBank, opposing its transaction to acquire ABB's robotics business in China for approximately 5,400,000,000 USD.

ABB is a leading company in the global electrification and automation fields. A press release published on the group's official website on Thursday news release The Chinese side stated, “ABB confirmed, SoftBank has been informed, the Office of the Mechanism for Security Review of Foreign Investment in China has prohibited SoftBank from acquiring ABB Robotics' robotics business in China.” The statement also said, “ABB and SoftBank are maintaining close communication and are actively pushing forward the transaction matters.”

In October 2025, ABB announced the signing of an agreement to sell its robotics business unit to SoftBank Group for 5,375,000,000 USD. However, “the transaction is still subject to regulatory approval and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. SoftBank is responsible for pushing forward the regulatory approval process.”

This is the most eye-catching merger and acquisition transaction in the global industrial automation and robotics fields in recent years. According to ABB China, China is the second largest market for the ABB Group globally. ABB has invested a cumulative total of over 1,000,000,000 USD in China over the past decade, with approximately 85% of sales revenue originating from products, systems, and services manufactured locally. Currently, ABB has business activities such as R&D, manufacturing, sales, and engineering services in China, with 30 local enterprises and 14,000 employees spread across more than 100 cities.

The Office of the Mechanism for Review of Foreign Investment Security in China is affiliated with the National Development and Reform Commission of China. This is the second time this year that the office has blocked the acquisition of high-tech enterprises in China.

In April this year, the China Foreign Investment Security Review Office required the American tech giant Meta to withdraw its acquisition of the artificial intelligence startup Manus, which was worth over 2,000,000,000 USD. At that time, the office announced, “In accordance with laws and regulations, a decision was made to prohibit the investment in the Manus project by foreign capital,” and required both parties to withdraw the acquisition transaction.

The Chinese government is taking great measures to prevent domestic technology enterprises from transferring core technologies and intellectual property overseas.

A report by the British *Financial Times* stated that until last week, individuals closely associated with SoftBank and individuals familiar with the relevant processes of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission had originally expected that, although the transaction would need to undergo a foreign investment security review, it would still be approved. The transaction passed China's fair competition review in February.

On November 5, at a regular press conference of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun said when asked about relevant issues, “It is suggested that this question be directed to the relevant Chinese authorities.”