By ROD McGUIRKJanuary 13, 2021 GMT
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s treasurer on Wednesday declined to comment on whether he had intended to block a Chinese state-owned company’s takeover of an Australian-based construction company in a development likely to increase strain on bilateral relations.
China State Construction Engineering Corp., one of the world’s biggest construction companies, had planned to buy South African-owned and Sydney-based Probuild for 300 million Australian dollars ($233 million).
But Probuild’s owner, Wilson Bayly Holmes, told the Johannesburg Stock Exchange this week that the Chinese suitor had withdrawn its offer because Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg would have blocked the sale.