EU set to approve Syngenta deal

EU antitrust regulators are set to clear ChemChina’s $43 billion bid for Syngenta next week, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. The European Commission could announce its approval at the same time either on Monday or Tuesday.  The Syngenta deal, along with the $130 billon Dow, DuPont merger, which the commission is expected to announce approval for simultaneously, are in the agrochemicals industry and have triggered fears among regulators and farmers that the merged companies may slow down the pipeline of new herbicides and pesticides. ChemChina, which is making the largest foreign acquisition by a Chinese company, won over regulators with its pledge to divest a couple of national product registrations, including existing products and a few in the pipeline, in more than a dozen EU countries, other sources said.