China blocks SoftBank's $5.4bn takeover of ABB robotics unit
ABB confirmed the decision in a statement on Thursday, ending a deal announced in October 2025 as part of Masayoshi Son's push into automation.
China has blocked SoftBank Group's $5.4 billion purchase of ABB's robotics division, the Swiss-Swedish engineering company said, halting a deal the Japanese group announced in October 2025 as part of founder Masayoshi Son's push into artificial intelligence and automation.
ABB said in a statement on Thursday that Chinese authorities had moved against the transaction, Nikkei Asia reported. The reports did not name the Chinese regulator that reviewed the case, the grounds it gave, or whether the two companies will challenge the decision.
Reuters reported the block earlier, crediting the Financial Times. No comment from SoftBank, from ABB management or from any Chinese government body was carried in the reports.
ABB is headquartered in Switzerland and has Swedish roots; its robotics division makes arms and automation equipment for factories. SoftBank is a Japanese technology investor. The $5.4 billion price was carried by Reuters, Nikkei Asia and The Japan Times.
The Japan Times reported that the acquisition had been widely expected to raise SoftBank's revenue and profit while the group waits for a boost from the public listing of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company it has backed. Nikkei Asia described the Chinese move as Beijing's latest intervention in a sale of key technology, and said China had balked at the plan.
The reports did not explain which of the robotics division's operations or customers in China brought the sale under Beijing's review. They also did not say what becomes of the October 2025 agreement, or whether SoftBank has paid any part of the price.
SoftBank built its position in AI and automation through a series of holdings rather than through heavy industry, and the ABB robotics unit would have given it a manufacturing business alongside those stakes.
How the reports differ
Reuters credited the Financial Times with the report and gave no other source for the block. Nikkei Asia said ABB confirmed the decision in a statement issued on Thursday, and framed it as Beijing's latest intervention in the sale of key technology. The Japan Times led on what the deal had been expected to do for SoftBank, saying it would have bolstered revenue and profit while the group awaits OpenAI's public debut. None of the three named the Chinese authority that acted or the grounds for its decision.
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