美国议员呼吁审查博通收购高通交易

Broadcom has come under scrutiny from US lawmakers as it tries to clinch a takeover of rival Qualcomm, with pressure mounting for a US government panel to open an investigation into the potential transaction.

博通(Broadcom)在试图收购其竞争对手高通(Qualcomm)时受到了美国立法者的密切关注，美国政府的一个专家小组面临越来越大的压力，要求其对这宗潜在的交易展开调查。

John Cornyn, the second ranking Republican in the Senate, called on the Committee of Foreign Investment in the US to “promptly review” Broadcom’s proposal before a critical March 6 meeting of Qualcomm shareholders, when they will vote on a slate of directors nominated by the Singapore-based group.

参议院共和党二号人物约翰?科宁(John Cornyn)呼吁美国外国投资委员会（Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States，简称CFIUS）在3月6日高通的一次关键的股东会议前“迅速审查”博通的提议，股东会议上高通股东将对总部位于新加坡的博通提名的董事名单进行表决。

In a letter to Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday seen by the Financial Times, Mr Cornyn wrote that it would be “deeply concerning” if a foreign company could take control of a US group through a proxy fight without first gaining Cfius approval.

英国《金融时报》(Financial Times)看到了一封科宁在周一写给美国财政部长史蒂文?姆努钦(Steven Mnuchin)的信，科宁写道，如果一家外国企业在没有获得CFIUS批准的情况下，通过一场代理人争夺战就控制了一个美国集团，那将“令人深感担忧”。

Broadcom has sought to oust a majority of Qualcomm’s 11-person board at the company’s annual meeting next week, which could tip the balance for its $142bn proposed deal in the group’s favour.

博通试图在下周高通的年度会议上罢免高通11人董事会中的大多数董事，这可能会使其提出的1420亿美元的收购朝着有利于他们的方向倾斜。

While Qualcomm this week said the two sides had made some progress on a deal, it found the price tag too low. Qualcomm is willing to agree to a deal that values the company at more than $160bn, according to people involved in the negotiations.

尽管高通本周表示，其与博通在达成交易上取得了一些进展，但觉得价格太低了。据参与谈判的人士透露，高通如果得到超过1600亿美元的估值，就愿意同意收购。

Mr Cornyn also drew a line to Huawei — the telecoms equipment maker that US government agencies have warned poses a national security risk — writing that divestitures in a Broadcom-Qualcomm deal would likely let the Chinese company “win the race” for 5G technology, the next generation network standard.

科宁还提到了华为(Huawei)——美国政府机构警告说，这家电信设备制造商威胁到了美国的国家安全。科宁写道，博通-高通交易中的资产剥离，可能会让这家中国公司“赢得”下一代网络标准5G技术的竞争。

“Any disruption in Qualcomm’s business as a result of the hostile takeover could have the effect of significantly disadvantaging the United States, and on that basis alone, Cfius should evaluate whether prospective control of Qualcomm by Broadcom raises any risks to US national security,” he said.

科宁称：“高通的业务因敌意收购而出现任何中断，都会对美国造成严重不利的影响，仅基于此，CFIUS就应该评估博通对高通的可能控制是否会给美国国家安全带来风险。”

Reuters on Monday reported that Cfius had met last month to discuss the possible deal between Broadcom and Qualcomm, and has been in touch with at least one of the companies.

路透社(Reuters)周一报道，CFIUS上个月曾召开会议，讨论博通和高通之间可能会达成的交易，并至少与其中一家公司取得了联系。

A Broadcom spokesperson said: “Cfius is not implicated unless a corporation comes under the ‘control’ of a foreign person. As Broadcom’s CEO Hock Tan announced from the Oval Office last November, Broadcom is committed to reincorporating from Singapore to the US, and expects to receive the required approvals to do so by the end of Broadcom’s fiscal second quarter.”

博通的一位发言人称：“除非一家公司要被某个外国人‘控制’，否则不会牵涉到CFIUS。正如博通首席执行官陈福阳（Hock Tan，文首图中）去年11月在椭圆形办公室宣布的那样，博通正努力将公司总部从新加坡迁到美国，预期将在博通第二财季结束前获得所需的批准。”

Qualcomm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

高通没有立即回应置评请求。

The call from senator Cornyn followed a letter to US President Donald Trump from congressman Duncan Hunter, who called on the White House to block a hostile takeover of Qualcomm. There have been growing bipartisan concerns in Washington over the need to protect the US’s high-tech industry from foreign investors, particularly from China.

在参议员科宁发出上述呼吁前，美国国会众议员邓肯?亨特(Duncan Hunter)给美国总统唐纳德?特朗普(Donald Trump)写了一封信，他呼吁白宫阻止对高通的敌意收购。华盛顿越来越多的两党人士认为需要保护美国的高科技产业不被外国投资者收购，特别是来自中国的投资者。

Mr Cornyn is leading efforts, backed by the Trump administration, to give Cfius greater powers to review inbound investments in tech start-ups as well as outbound investments by US companies into countries like China where they are often forced to enter joint ventures with local partners and share proprietary technologies.

在特朗普政府的支持下，科宁领导着一项努力，要赋予CFIUS更大的权力去审查对科技初创企业的外来投资，以及美国企业对中国等国的投资，在这些国家，美国企业往往被迫与当地的合作伙伴建立合资企业，分享专有技术。

US authorities have long been sensitive to foreign investments in chip manufacturers and any deal — even one involving a US ally like Singapore — was always likely to attract the scrutiny of Cfius, an inter-agency panel that reviews investments for national security reasons.

长期以来，美国当局对外资投资美国的芯片制造商一直很敏感，任何交易——即便一方是新加坡这样的美国盟友——都可能引发CFIUS的关注，该委员会是一个跨机构小组，负责以国家安全为由进行投资审查。

Cfius last week rejected a $580m deal for Massachusetts-based semiconductor testing company Xcerra by a Chinese state-backed fund.

上周，CFIUS否决了一家中国政府背景的基金以5.8亿美元收购马萨诸塞州半导体测试公司Xcerra。

Cfius experts say whether the committee has jurisdiction may come into question. The inter-agency committee, chaired by secretary Mnuchin, only has jurisdiction over deals involving foreign investments in the US. But the Singapore-owned chipmaker is in the process of moving its headquarters back to the US with chief executive Tan joining Mr Trump in the Oval Office last November to announce the move just days before launching his bid for Qualcomm.

CFIUS的专家表示，该委员会是否有管辖权可能会引起质疑。这家由财政部长姆努钦担任主席的跨机构委员会，只对涉及外国在美投资的交易具有管辖权。但博通这家新加坡芯片制造商正在将总部迁到美国，去年11月其首席执行官陈福阳在椭圆形办公室与特朗普会面时宣布了这一举动，几天后，博通才向高通提出收购。

That move was seen by analysts as a way to avoid potential political objections.

分析人士认为，此举是避免潜在政治反对的一种方式。

Broadcom also won US antitrust approval last November for its $5.9bn takeover of Brocade, a US network gear supplier.

去年11月，博通以59亿美元收购美国网络设备供应商博科(Brocade)的交易还获得了美国反垄断部门的批准。