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China’s antitrust authority has expressed some initial concerns that Skyworks Solutions’ (SWKS) proposed acquisition of rival electronic components maker Qorvo (QRVO) could lead to illegal bundling practices and unfair disadvantages for home-grown competitors, sources familiar with the matter said.
The TMT Weekly is a forward-looking tipsheet that covers tech policy across The Capitol Forum’s U.S. policy coverage universe, from Congress to the Courts. In this edition: National Security Outlook: Profit boom for memory chip oligopoly set to continue in short term: Sources in...
Germany’s deep economic integration with China, particularly in the automotive and chemicals sectors, has emerged as a major obstacle to Europe’s shift towards more protectionist trade and investment policies, a Capitol Forum analysis shows. Resistance is also building among EU member...
Chinese-owned Smithfield Foods’ (SFD) attempt to fast track national security approval for its proposed $450 million acquisition of iconic U.S. hot dog brand Nathan’s Famous (NATH) could be derailed by administration concerns over China’s involvement in the U.S. food supply, the...
In an unusual move, the European Commission is planning to reject a dumping complaint against Chinese imports of alloy tool steel, according to a note published in its documents register. Trade lawyers working on similar cases, speaking to The Capitol Forum on condition of anonymity, said...
The text of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) provides few formal requirements for next year’s review, leaving stakeholders to envision a wide range of scenarios—from small tweaks around the edges to a full-scale renegotiation—and to attempt to align their proposed changes...
The European Commission is set to open an anti-subsidy investigation into imports of lightweight thermal paper from China, according to people familiar with the matter. The move comes in response to a request from EU manufacturers seeking protection from what they claim are unfairly...
Skyworks Solutions’ (SWKS) proposed acquisition of rival components maker Qorvo (QRVO) to create a $22 billion U.S. powerhouse in critical radio frequency technology used in smartphones is set to undergo a rigorous investigation by China’s antitrust authority, legal practitioners...
The European Commission is poised to launch an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese imports of passenger car and light truck tires, following a formal complaint from EU manufacturers, according to two people familiar with the matter. The surge in Chinese imports—fuelled by state...
Chinese e-commerce companies Temu and SHEIN will no longer be able to rely on their low-cost direct-to-consumer model in the U.S. following the end of a trade exemption known as de minimis. As the companies look to Europe for growth, however, European policymakers are preparing to push...
Brussels is set to unveil a new trade instrument next week aimed at curbing tariff-free steel imports linked to global overcapacity, particularly from China. The move is also intended to lay the groundwork for negotiations with Washington over the removal of Trump’s tariffs that...
London-based Anglo American (LSE: AAL) and Teck Resources’ (TECK) plan to create a $50 billion-plus copper-mining behemoth will likely encounter regulatory scrutiny driven by “Canada Strong” and “America First” agendas. In Ottawa, the main focus will be on whether the deal...
This article has been updated with a statement from Customs and Border Protection. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) policing of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) has fallen dramatically since the act was first implemented in 2022, according to publicly available...
China’s antitrust authority recently paused the review clock on its investigation into Keysight Technologies’ (KEYS) proposed takeover of rival Spirent Communications (LON: SPT) to allow extra time to negotiate and market test the parties’ proposed remedy package, sources familiar...
President Donald Trump is pondering an executive order to define the percentage of content from high-tariff countries in imported goods that would trigger his recently announced 40% ‘transshipment’ tariffs, three sources familiar with the matter said. The administration on July 31...
The Trump administration’s order this month forcing China’s Suirui Group to unwind its purchase of California-based Jupiter Systems is more than a delayed enforcement action—it’s a powerful signal of the U.S. government’s rapidly hardening stance against Chinese control of...
American Axle and Manufacturing’s (AXL) $1.16 billion pound ($1.44 billion) bid for London-listed Dowlais (LON: DWL) will likely face rigorous scrutiny from competition regulators in China, a key automotive market, lawyers and industry experts...
In the months after Inauguration Day, the Trump administration’s merger policy appeared to be slowly but surely rounding into form: To wit, meaningful continuity from the Biden administration (retaining the 2023 Merger Guidelines and updated HSR Form), coupled with substantive pull back...
China’s antitrust authority is set to start a phase 3 review of Keysight Technologies’ (KEYS) proposed 1.16 billion pound ($1.5 billion) takeover of rival Spirent Communications (LON: SPT), sources familiar with the matter...
SAMR flags antitrust risks in semiconductor materials, patent database sectors. China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), the antitrust authority, warned in its annual report of potential risks in the semiconductor materials and patent database service provider sectors,...
Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME), China’s largest online music and audio entertainment platform, plans to submit its proposed $2.4 billion acquisition of audio content platform Ximalaya to the country’s antitrust authority for review, sources familiar with the matter...
New fees on Chinese ships proposed by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) are likely to raise freight prices but are unlikely to generate significant revenue as companies will have multiple strategies available to avoid the fees, according to experts and industry members. ...
SAMR fines four pharmaceutical suppliers 354 million yuan for price-fixing. The Tianjin branch of China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced on May 9 that it had levied a total of 354 million yuan ($49 million) in penalties on four pharmaceutical suppliers for...
Keysight Technologies’ 1.16 billion pound ($1.5 billion) bid for testing and measuring equipment provider Spirent is advancing toward antitrust clearance in the U.S., sources familiar with the matter...
The prospect has grown that two high-profile semiconductors transactions—Synopsys’s proposed acquisition of Ansys and Keysight Technologies’ pending purchase of Spirent Communications—will be cleared by China’s antitrust authority after the Asian country and the U.S. over the...
Indian watchdog settles with Google. The Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) recent settlement with Google (GOOG) creates a path for other U.S. tech giants to come forward and resolve their cases with the regulator. On April 21, the CCI issued its first-ever settlement order. The...
Shanghai display advertising giant Focus Media Group’s proposed $1.3 billion takeover of rival Xinchao Media Group, which would expand the buyer’s Chinese empire for ads posted in elevators, will face close scrutiny from China’s antitrust authority, legal practitioners and industry...
A provision in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a free trade agreement negotiated by the first Trump administration, could enable Chinese plastics manufacturers to reduce their tariff burden, according to lawyers, supply chain experts, and an industry executive....
India’s antitrust regulator is set to greenlight advertising behemoth Omnicom’s (OMC) proposed $13 billion acquisition of rival Interpublic Group (IPG) in the coming weeks, according to sources familiar with the matter. The deal, filed with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on...
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM) is poised to leverage its microchip manufacturing dominance to box competitors out of the increasingly important advanced packaging market, semiconductor industry participants told The Capitol Forum. TSMC has an effective monopoly in the...
Case handlers at China’s antitrust authority conducted a surprise inspection of the Shanghai office of DuPont (DD) last week amid an investigation of the U.S. chemical giant for alleged anticompetitive conduct, according to sources familiar with the matter. The State Administration for...
The Asia Antitrust Agenda is a biweekly column showcasing key regulatory developments in the region. This week, The Capitol Forum looks at comments from head of SAMR Luo Wen on plans to increase oversight of digital platforms this year, guidance published by the Australian Competition and...
The Trump Administration on Tuesday raised tariffs on its three largest trading partners—Mexico, China and Canada—and in doing so, launched America’s broadest and most consequential trade salvo since the Great...
This is the inaugural edition of The Asia Antitrust Agenda, a biweekly column showcasing key regulatory developments in the region. KFTC juggles platform regulations, potential U.S. trade conflict. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) will closely engage with the U.S. government over...
Some European Union member states are considering whether to urge the European Commission to invoke a powerful new trade tool in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s reinstatement this month of 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, sources familiar with the matter said. The...
After leading global efforts to regulate artificial intelligence, China appears to be reversing course, stressing the need to encourage innovation and advances in the vital...
Lenovo Group’s (HKSE: 992) proposed acquisition of Israeli-American data storage company Infinidat is shaping up as a critical litmus test for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) under the Trump administration, according to a Capitol Forum...
Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) proposed Juniper Networks (JNPR) acquisition enters a perilous phase as DOJ is scheduled to meet with the companies’ representatives tomorrow to discuss that it’s leaning toward suing to block the $14 billion deal, according to sources familiar...
Christina Caffarra’s conference “The Perfect Storm: A Time of Truth for Europe” is this Thursday, January 30. Cristina Caffarra’s annual must-attend conference on competition, trade, and industrial policy takes place this Thursday in-person in Brussels and livestreamed. Caffarra...
Synopsys’ (SNPS) proposed $35 billion buyout of Ansys (ANSS) last week entered an in-depth phase 2 merger review in China, as regulators start to ask market participants about the tie-up of the two chip-design software makers, sources familiar with the matter...
For those not around for the decades-long string of events that led to Big Tech becoming the target of antitrust enforcers, you’re in luck. Companies’ current fights for dominance in artificial intelligence should give you an idea of what you missed in the development of Internet...
Rio Tinto’s (RIO) attempted takeover of Arcadium Lithium (ALTM) is sparking concern on a U.S. House committee focused on limiting China’s power over key technologies and raw...
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon last month in her Tapestry/Capri decision ever so slightly nudged documents toward the top of the evidence pile. Her reliance on company slide deck presentations, strategy papers and executives’ emails not only resulted in a victory for the FTC but...
Siemens’s $10.6 billion bid for Altair Engineering could trigger a review by the Chinese antitrust authority due to both companies’ deep business ties to the Asian country and ongoing consolidation in the design simulation software sector, China-based lawyers and industry analysts...
Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto’s (RIO) proposed $6.7 billion acquisition of Arcadium Lithium (ALTM), which produces a key component of the rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles, energy and military technologies, and mobile devices, likely will face intense scrutiny...
U.S. drug development companies known as contract research organizations (CROs) continue to be stymied by supply chain issues for the monkeys used in pharmaceutical testing, after having lost access to two major sources of these animals in recent...
A review by China’s antitrust regulator could delay the government-backed Japan Investment Corporation’s (JIC) anticipated $4.7 billion tender offer for computer chip packaging and components maker Shinko Electric Industries (TSE: 6967), sources familiar with the matter...
Regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential race in November, foreign investors attempting to purchase American assets can expect more government scrutiny than ever before—especially if the buyers are from...
China’s antitrust authority last week stressed in its proposed new guidance on horizontal merger reviews that it will consider a deal’s impact on the country’s economy, indicating the importance industrial policy and political interests increasingly are playing in the...
In examining Uber Technologies’ (UBER) proposed acquisition of Delivery Hero’s (DHER) Foodpanda business, Taiwan’s competition regulator met this week with industry participants such as restaurant chain operators and drivers, who have complained about the $950 million deal leading...
Hong Kong-based private equity firm Ascendent Capital Partners’ planned $1.66 billion buyout of Hollysys Automation Technologies (HOLI) is likely to face scrutiny from China’s antitrust regulator and the country’s opaque national security review agency, sources familiar with the...
