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China blocks SoftBank’s $5.4 billion takeover of ABB’s robotics unit

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Source: Bloomberg via The Japan TimesAlso reported by Bloomberg

A Chinese government agency blocked SoftBank Group’s $5.4 billion takeover of ABB’s robotics unit, ABB said in an emailed statement. The unit has more than 7,000 employees, supplies robotic arms and industrial machinery to manufacturers including BMW, and has a large presence in China. SoftBank’s shares were down around 7% in Tokyo on Thursday.

Why it matters

SoftBank cannot complete its $5.4 billion takeover of ABB’s robotics unit, a planned route into physical AI, after a Chinese block.

When
5 Nov 2026
ID
WTA-N-2026-0722
Where
China, Japan
Who
SoftBank Group, ABB, Office of the Working Mechanism for Foreign Investment Security Review; Masayoshi Son
Authority
China’s Office of the Working Mechanism for Foreign Investment Security Review
Target
SoftBank Group and ABB
Action
prohibited SoftBank’s $5.4 billion takeover of ABB’s robotics unit
Status
blocked, ABB said on 5 Nov 2026 · Enforcement ledger

Summary written with AI by wheresthe.ai, from Bloomberg via The Japan Times and the reporting credited above. Checked against the source on 5 Nov 2026.

Read the original at Bloomberg via The Japan Times

Source copy: saved on 5 Nov 2026 to check this story and not republished, because the text belongs to its publisher. Also held by the Internet Archive.

Earlier in this Storyline: What led hereSoftBank agrees to invest up to $40bn in OpenAI at a $260bn pre-money valuation

Cite this story

WTA-N-2026-0722: “China blocks SoftBank’s $5.4 billion takeover of ABB’s robotics unit.” wheresthe.ai, 5 Nov 2026. https://wheresthe.ai/d/cn-china-blocks-softbank-s-5-4-billion-takeover-of-abb-s-rob-2026-11/ (source: Bloomberg via The Japan Times).

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