Manfred Weber calls to protect EU firms after China's Midea buys Kuka

German conservative Manfred Weber said on Monday that the 2016 purchase of German robotics maker Kuka by China's Midea showed that it was necessary to protect European firms.

Weber is the leader of the European People's Party in the European Parliament. His comments come after Germany agreed on new rules in December to lower the threshold for screening and even block purchases of stakes in German firms by non-Europeans, in a move to fend off unwanted takeovers by Chinese investors in strategic areas.