By Lewis Crofts, Andrew Boyce and Nicholas Hirst ( May 29, 2026, 10:08 GMT | Comment) -- JD.com is the first company to test the EU’s long-held concern that Chinese state influence is distorting dealmaking on European soil. But enforcers face a complicated task, unpicking the alchemy of deal valuations and getting inside the incentives of rival bidders. It has been there before on Middle Eastern deals, but always pulled up short of stiff intervention, showing the difficulty of fixing such abuses.The fear has been much voiced but little tested: the long arm of the Chinese state is putting its finger on the balance of corporate dealmaking, meaning European companies are getting snapped up unfairly....
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