Smithfield Foods Inc shareholders on Tuesday approved the pork giant's $4.7 billion sale to Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd in what is shaping up as the biggest acquisition of a U.S. company by a Chinese firm.
The closely watched transaction, valued at $7.1 billion including debt, is expected to close by September 26.
The deal, which aims to satisfy China's increasing appetite for pork, marries two of the world's largest pork producers and had faced scrutiny over China's high-profile food safety failures, concerns over U.S. pork supplies and U.S. national security.
But earlier this month, the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment cleared the way for the deal, removing an important hurdle.
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