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Business Matters: ChemChina in $43 Billion Syngenta Takeover Bid

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ChemChina in $43 Billion Syngenta Takeover Bid

04/02/2016 GMT

BBC World Service - Business Matters, ChemChina in $43 Billion Syngenta Takeover Bid

State-owned ChinaChem has swooped on the Swiss seeds and pesticides business, Syngenta.

It's China boldest overseas takeover move yet, following ChemChina's takeover of Italian tyre maker, Pirelli, last year.

It's China boldest overseas takeover move yet. The state-owned China National Chemical Corporation has swooped on the Swiss seeds and pesticides business, Syngenta. This latest deal follows ChemChina's takeover of Italian tyre maker, Pirelli, last year. Tom Mitchell, bureau chief for the Financial Times newspaper in Beijing, gives us background on ChemChina and increased Chinese interest in foreign companies, while farm broadcaster Bob Meyer explains why American farmers are worried about the deal. 

Efforts to end Syria's civil war - now approaching its sixth year - have once again stalled in Geneva. In London in the next few hours the leading nations of the world are meeting to pledge money to ease the suffering caused by the conflict. The cost in human lives and livelihoods is vast and growing, with 4.6 million refugees, 6.6 million displaced. There is a group of people unfortunate even by Syrian standards - the half a million Palestinian refugees stranded in Syria, trying to keep out of a war they have no part in. Their welfare is the concern of the United Nations Relief sand Works Agency. We hear from their spokesman, Chris Gunness. 

We go to Spain where after weeks of tense political deadlock following December's inconclusive general election, King Felipe has asked the opposition Socialist party to try to form a coalition government. The BBC's Guy Hedgecoe in Madrid has been finding out what businesses there think about all the uncertainty.

Plus we hear from British-Palestinian filmmaker Basil Khalil about his Oscar-nominated short film, Ave Maria.

All this and more discussed with our two guests from both sides of the Pacific: Peter Morici, Professor of International Business at the University of Maryland and Jonathan Cheng of the Wall Street Journal, in Seoul. 

(Photo: Syngenta Chairman Michel Demare (R) shakes hands with Chairman of ChemChina Ren Jianxin during a press conference to present Syngenta's annual results at the company's headquarters in Basel. Credit: Getty Images).

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