Germany blocks Chinese shipping giant Cosco's acquisition of logistics firm Zippel

Germany has blocked an attempt by Chinese state-owned shipping company Cosco to acquire logistics firm Zippel, citing security concerns, according to a report from Anadolu Agency.

German authorities said the proposed acquisition raised security concerns and that allowing it to proceed would deepen strategic dependencies on China while endangering the supply-chain resilience of both Germany and the European Union more broadly.

The decision reflects growing scrutiny in Germany and across the EU of Chinese state-linked investment in critical infrastructure and logistics assets, an area where European governments have increasingly moved to restrict foreign takeovers deemed to pose strategic risks.

Cosco, one of the world's largest shipping companies, has pursued investments in European ports and logistics infrastructure in recent years, some of which have previously drawn scrutiny from European regulators and governments over security and strategic-dependency concerns.

Neither Cosco nor Zippel issued an immediate public statement responding to Germany's decision to block the acquisition.