(Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday blocked microchip maker Broadcom Ltd’s proposed takeover of Qualcomm Inc on national security grounds, ending what would have been the technology industry’s biggest deal ever amid concerns that it would give China the upper hand in mobile communications.
The presidential order reflected a calculation that the United States’ lead in creating technology and setting standards for the next generation of mobile cell phone communications would be lost to China if Singapore-based Broadcom took over San Diego-based Qualcomm, according to a White House official.
Qualcomm has emerged as one of the biggest competitors to China’s Huawei Technologies Co in the sector, making Qualcomm a prized asset.
Qualcomm had earlier rebuffed Broadcom’s $117 billion bid, which was under investigation by the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a multi-agency panel led by the Treasury Department that reviews the national security implications of acquisitions of U.S. corporations by foreign companies.
In a letter on March 5, CFIUS said it was investigating whether Broadcom would starve Qualcomm of research dollars that would allow it to compete and also cited the risk of Broadcom’s relationship with“third party foreign entities.”
While it did not identify those entities, the letter repeatedly described Qualcomm as the leading company in so-called 5G technology development and standard setting.
“A shift to Chinese dominance in 5G would have substantial negative national security consequences for the United States,” CFIUS said.“While the United States remains dominant in the standards-setting space currently, China would likely compete robustly to fill any void left by Qualcomm as a result of this hostile takeover.”
NATIONAL SECURITY AND HUAWEI
A White House official on Monday confirmed that the national security concerns related to the risks of Broadcom’s relationship with third party foreign entities.
A source familiar with CFIUS’ thinking had said that, if the deal was completed, the U.S. military was concerned that within 10 years,“there would essentially be a dominant player in all of these technologies and that’s essentially Huawei, and then the American carriers would have no choice. They would just have to buy Huawei (equipment).”
Huawei has been forging closer commercial ties with big telecom operators across Europe and Asia, putting it in prime position to lead the global race for 5G networks despite U.S. concerns.
Huawei has a dominant position in China, which is set to become the world’s biggest 5G market by far, and has also made inroads in the rest of world to compete with rivals such as Ericsson and Nokia in several lucrative markets, including countries that are longstanding U.S. allies.
Qualcomm is also a major player in 5G, estimated to have 15 percent of 5G-essential patents in the world, compared with 11 percent for Nokia and 10 percent for all of China, according to a Jefferies report citing LexInnova research. Many smartphone makers are counting on Qualcomm to deliver its 5G chipset on time in late 2018 to roll out their 5G phones in 2019.
Shares of Broadcom rose less than 1.0 percent to $264.10 in after-hours trade while Qualcomm fell 4.3 percent to $60.14.
Broadcom said it was reviewing the presidential order.“Broadcom strongly disagrees that its proposed acquisition of Qualcomm raises any national security concerns,” it said in a statement in response to the decision.
Full story at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-qualcomm-m-a-broadcom-merger/president-trump-halts-broadcom-takeover-of-qualcomm-idUSKCN1GO1Q4
Commentary: On Broadcom and tariffs, Trump takes aim on trade – and Singapore?
Recent days saw a second unprecedented presidential intervention in international economic relations – the White House statement blocking the US$117 billion Broadcom-Qualcomm acquisition because “it could impair the national security of the United States”.
Never before has a president intervened in a CFIUS review in this manner. The administrative review was in its early stages, and typically problematic transactions are allowed to die quietly in the dark.
Instead, the president chose to prove that he is the man in the arena.
What reasons underlay the blocking of the transaction? We don’t know; and Singaporeans know best of all that Broadcom may have been Singapore-licensed but was headquartered in and operated from California. This was a merger of two global companies based in the US, not a foreign takeover.
What precedent does this action set? Truly, we don’t know – and that’s just how Trump likes it.
Where does all this leave Singapore? Singapore has long embraced – indeed built its entire economy around – a rules-based international order. In fundamental ways, Mr Trump’s approach to trade, and to international rules, is a direct challenge to Singapore’s future.
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/broadcom-qualcomm-trade-tariffs-donald-trump-10050258
And so Trump flashes Pinoy Lee the middle finger once more after ditching the TPP deal. Awesome.