In a November 8 article in The New York Times, Bass, Berry & Sims partner Thad McBride provided insight on increased scrutiny of foreign investments in the U.S by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Lawmakers recently introduced legislation that would expand CFIUS authority, at least in part due to lawmakers’ concerns about continuing Chinese investment activity in the U.S. This legislation follows a rare case in September where President Trump invoked CFIUS in blocking a $1 billion acquisition of a U.S. semiconductor manufacturer by a Chinese-backed private equity fund.
As Thad noted, CFIUS is “looking at a lot more deals than they have traditionally, and a lot more politically sensitive deals.” Under the newly proposed legislation, stricter and further reaching reviews may become the norm.
The full article, “Targeting China’s Purchases, Congress Proposes Tougher Reviews of Foreign Investments,” was published on November 8, 2017, and is available online.
