The German government has prohibited the planned takeover of the Hamburg forwarding company Zippel by the Chinese state-owned enterprise Cosco. This decision was announced on Wednesday following the session of the Federal Cabinet. Several ministries, including the Ministry of Economics, Defense, Interior, and Foreign Affairs, along with the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, reportedly expressed significant security concerns regarding the deal.
Zippel plays a crucial role in inland port traffic, managing container transport between the North German seaports and the interior. Security authorities estimate that allowing a Chinese state-owned enterprise access to such sensitive logistics and data hubs could enable it to exert leverage against Germany and its European partners in times of crisis. This is particularly true for rail and port logistics used by the Bundeswehr and Nato.
While the German Cartel Office had initially approved the takeover based on competitive laws, judging that no market-dominating position was imminent, the Federal Government utilized its powers under foreign trade law to ultimately block the acquisition.
This closely follows earlier discussions, as the entry of Cosco into the Tollerort container terminal back in 2023 sparked political debate. At that time, the participation of the Chinese shipping company was limited to 24.99 percent to prevent strategic influence. In the case of Zippel, the planned deal would have granted Cosco a complete controlling majority of 80 percent, a level of control the government was unwilling to permit.
