French group Danone has offered to defer its lawsuits against Chinese soft drink company Wahaha if it agrees to talks on securing the future of the two firms' joint venture, the Financial Times reported. Emmanuel Faber, Danone's Asia president, said six lawsuits had already been suspended. The move comes amid concerns within Danone that even if the company does emerge successful from the international arbitration process, it won't be able to enforce the decision in China, as local courts reach different judgments. There are also signs that China's stance on the case could be hardening after a trade union claiming to represent workers at the joint venture won an injunction freezing some of the company's assets in Shandong province. Relations between Danone and Wahaha founder Zong Qinghou broke down following accusations that Zong was setting up new operations in competition with the joint venture.
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