China will approve purchase of SABMiller for ABInBev, say sources

The purchase of Anheuser-Busch InBev SABMiller, transaction of more than $ 100 billion, is about to get the approval of the Ministry of Commerce of China after the companies agreed to sell some assets, said people familiar with the matter.
That would leave the biggest deal in the history of the brewery sector closer to fruition.
Although the Government might establish some conditions to the transaction, regulatory authorities do not see major obstacles, said one of the people, who requested anonymity because the deliberations are confidential. Some local breweries said the Ministry would have no objections to the acquisition because it won''t have a big impact on the Chinese market, said someone else.
As people familiar with the process say that the U.S. Department of Justice probably will approve the agreement this month, the maker of Budweiser is approaching the completion of a merger that could result in a brewery that will control about half of the industry''s profits. The companies had to agree to do some sales to obtain regulatory approvals around the world, such as the sale of SABMiller in its venture with China Resources Beer (Holdings) co.
AB InBev and SABMiller preferred not to comment. China Resources and the Ministry of Commerce did not respond immediately to questions.
The plan of merger, which the two companies have established in November as a means to gain access to emerging markets, has already obtained antitrust approval in more than a dozen jurisdictions, including in the European Union.
In March, China Resources has announced that it would buy the entire participation of SABMiller in Chinese venture, for $ 1.6 billion. This agreement also is close to being approved by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, said the people.