Chinese State Influence Present in 40 Percent of European Company Acquisitions: Research

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (C) and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping (L) look on as Siemens chairman Joe Kaeser (R) shakes hands with a Chinese business partner during a signing ceremony of German-Chinese business contracts at the Chancellery in Berlin, on July 5, 2017. John Macdougall/AFP via Getty Images

China’s communist regime has moderate to heavy influence over 40 percent of European businesses acquired by Chinese companies in the past decade, research has found.

Datenna, a Dutch consulting firm specializing in screening Chinese investments, looked at data for hundreds of European companies that have sold most or all of their shares to Chinese firms to find out how much influence the Chinese state has over the companies as a shareholder.