China halts SoftBank purchase of ABB Robotics’ China business

In its update dated 2026-11-05, ABB says SoftBank informed it that China’s Office of the Working Mechanism for Foreign Investment Security Review has prohibited the acquisition of the ABB Robotics business in China. The geographic scope matters: ABB reports a prohibition concerning the business in China, without saying the entire transaction has been prohibited or cancelled.

What ABB says about the transaction

In 2025, ABB agreed to divest its Robotics division to SoftBank Group. ABB says the transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, and that SoftBank manages the approval process. ABB also says the companies continue discussions and constructive work on the transaction.

What buyers can conclude

ABB’s statement says nothing about customers, support, product plans, a spin-off or timing. It does not set out what happens next.

On the transaction status described by ABB—still subject to approvals and closing conditions—the announced sale has not closed, so ABB Robotics remains an ABB division. This follows from the status ABB describes, rather than a separate announcement about the division.

Evaluating ABB robots

RoboHub lists the IRB 1700 and IRB 1300, alongside the ABB maker hub. Our earlier ABB precision-robot coverage provides product context; the divestment update adds no product details.

ABB publishes no price for these models. Buyers can request a quote or an introduction through RoboHub.