The chief executive officer of Siemens, Joe Kaeser, has said companies from different countries should be allowed to invest in each other as long as this was a “two-way street”.
Asked to comment on the recent acquisition by Geely, Chinese automotive company, of a near 10 per cent stake in Daimler, the owner of Mercedes-Benz, Mr Kaeser said he backed “free and fair” business negotiations.
“There`s nothing wrong if China [buys] European or international assets and plays a role as many other companies have been doing all over the world,” said Mr Kaeser, who was in São Paulo for the World Economic Forum on Latin America. “I think there is one prerequisite, though, which should be non-negotiable and that`s the reciprocity of actions. So if any company, or any company of any country wants to do something in another country, that other country or company should be free to do the same thing in the other country.”