(Bloomberg) — Nippon Steel Corp. has sent a senior executive to Washington to boost its case for the $14.1 billion takeover of United States Steel Corp., according to people familiar with the matter.
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Takahiro Mori, the vice president of the Japanese steelmaker, was set to travel for meetings on Wednesday, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. The Financial Times reported the plans earlier.
A Nippon Steel spokesperson declined to comment.
The Japanese steelmaker’s bid to acquire its American counterpart is at risk of becoming a victim of politics, with President Joe Biden set to block the merger deal as soon as recommendations from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States land on his desk. Kamala Harris has said that US Steel should remain domestically owned, while Donald Trump, her rival in November’s presidential election, has also criticized the deal.
Nippon Steel has repeatedly emphasized that its merger proposal will benefit both US Steel and the broader American economy and steel industry. The Japanese company had made attempts to alleviate concerns over the deal, saying that it will appoint Americans to the board of US Steel and announcing an additional $1.3 billion in investments at US mills owned by the Pittsburgh-based company.
–With assistance from Shoko Oda.
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