China blocks SoftBank’s $5.4 billion ABB robotics acquisition
China’s state planner told SoftBank it would not allow the planned $5.4 billion purchase of ABB’s robotics division to proceed, according to ABB and Reuters.
By TomorrowNews · AI-assisted briefing · Briefing published 6 November 2026
AI-generated illustration — not a photograph of the event. Conceptual editorial rendering, not documentary evidence. · TomorrowNews / AI-generated illustration
The prohibition interrupts a deal that SoftBank expected to complete and constrains a robotics strategy that the Japanese investor describes as central to its AI ambitions. ABB said the companies remain in close dialogue and are working on the transaction.
People familiar with the matter told Reuters that Chinese authorities were concerned about robotics data moving overseas, SoftBank’s links to Western technology companies and Japanese control of sensitive technology. China accounts for about 30% of ABB’s robotics business.
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This is an original summary, not a republication of the full report.
