Beijing's rejection of the deal
China's state planner has told SoftBank that it will not allow the $5.4 billion acquisition of the robotics division of engineering group ABB. The Swiss company itself made the decision public on Thursday, as reported by the South China Morning Post in its Tech section. The Japanese investor therefore will not be able to complete the announced transaction involving ABB's robotics segment.
The confirmed fact is the block by the competent Chinese investment authority; the material does not indicate the formal reasons or the conditions set by Beijing. Nor does it specify whether the decision concerns competition, security or other aspects. The communication came from the company involved, not from a statement by the Chinese authority.
The second case of the year
According to the source's account, this is the second major deal blocked by China in 2026. Previously, Meta Platforms was ordered to unwind its acquisition, worth more than $2 billion, of artificial intelligence startup Manus. Taken in sequence, the two cases show a tightening of Beijing's control over foreign investment in domestic startups engaged in developing frontier technologies.
The link between the two episodes is made explicit by the newspaper: the block on SoftBank comes as Beijing tightens scrutiny of this type of transaction. However, the material does not provide details on the procedures followed in the two cases or on the criteria applied, and therefore does not allow determining whether the rejection of the sale of ABB's robotics division follows the same logic as the Meta case.
The consequences for SoftBank and open questions
The decision limits SoftBank's ambitions in robotics, which CEO Masayoshi Son has identified as a central component of its artificial intelligence investment strategy. The block therefore hits a stated element of the Japanese group's strategy, but the text does not quantify the impact or indicate which alternatives SoftBank intends to pursue.
Several elements remain to be verified: the official reason for the measure, any possibility of appeal or renegotiation of the transaction, and ABB's position beyond its confirmation of the block. The material does not report reactions from SoftBank, the Chinese government or other parties involved, nor does it clarify whether the veto concerns the entire acquisition or specific aspects. These points will need to be ascertained with the competent sources before drawing conclusions about the developments of the transaction.
