Germany blocks sale of two chipmakers to China over security concerns

Berlin: Germany on Wednesday blocked the sale of two chipmakers to Chinese investors because of a potential threat to security. "We must look very closely at company takeovers when it relates to important infrastructure or when there is a danger that the technology would flow to buyers from non-EU countries," said Economy Minister Robert Habeck. Chinese company Sai MicroElectronics had been seeking to buy the Dortmund factory of Elmos through its Swedish subsidiary Silex. The German government had rejected the planned takeover because "the purchase could endanger the order and security of Germany," said the economy ministry. Other ways of…