China urges US to stop groundless accusations against Chinese firm

BEIJING - China on Monday urged the United States to stop making groundless accusations against Chinese companies and politicizing normal acquisition cases.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang made the remarks in response to US President Barack Obama's block of a Chinese company's purchase of the US business of German chip equipment maker Aixtron.

Obama issued an order directing China's Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund (FGC) to "fully and permanently abandon" the proposed acquisition of Aixtron's US business, the US Department of Treasury said in a statement on Friday.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), which reviews foreign purchases of US companies, and Obama assess that "the transaction poses a risk to the national security of the United States that cannot be resolved through mitigation," the statement said.

"The Chinese company's acquisition is purely market behavior," Lu told a regular press briefing.

China is opposed to politicization of and political intervention in normal acquisitions, he said.

Lu urged the United States to offer a fair environment and convenience for investment by Chinese companies.

The Chinese government always encourages Chinese companies to carry out overseas investment and cooperation in accordance with market and international rules as well as local laws, he added.