GERMANY denied Friday interfering in Chinese home appliance maker Midea’s 4.5 billion euro (US$5 billion) bid for industrial robot maker Kuka, saying it was not organizing a rival offer.

    German media have reported that German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel wanted to forge an alliance of German or European firms to prevent a sale to the Chinese company, but the economy ministry denied this.

    Kuka has become the latest and biggest German industrial technology group to be targeted by a Chinese buyer as the world’s second-largest economy makes the transition from a low-cost manufacturer to a high-tech industrial hub.

    “The minister is not organizing a consortium for an alternative offer in the Kuka case,” ministry spokesman Andreas Audretsch told a regular news conference.

    German government sources have said Berlin would examine how critical Kuka’s technology is for the digitization of industry, an economic priority for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government.

    China said Thursday the deal should not be politicized.

    The spokesman said that Gabriel would appreciate a German or European bid, but added: “To make this clear: Such processes are corporate decisions and the government is not interfering.” (SD-Agencies)