Following approval by the Australian competition regulator on March 26, Australian miner Rio Tinto announced today that Chinese state-owned aluminum giant Chinalco's $30 billion bid to increase its stake in the miner from the existing 9.3 percent to 18 percent has also received regulatory approval in Germany.
Since Germany is one of Rio Tinto's iron ore markets, and as it is one of the five countries in which the bid needs to get regulatory clearance, the two parties were waiting for approval from the German Federal Cartel Office for Chinalco's proposal to enter into a strategic partnership with Rio Tinto.
The deal is still waiting for the Australian government's decision, which was postponed by 90 days by the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board on March 16.