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It’s not surprising, but it still seems possible~~ Hehe~~ The century-long acquisition never came to pass; Praxair and Linde ended their negotiations. According to foreign media reports, the merger between Praxair and Linde, which once caused a huge stir in the industrial gases industry, saw its negotiations terminated yesterday (September 11th). On August 17, Praxair, an American industrial gas supplier, and Germany’s Linde confirmed that the two companies are in talks regarding a merger. Currently, the market value of Linde Gas is around 27 billion euros (approximately 30.4 billion dollars), while the market value of Praxair is around 33.7 billion dollars. Earlier this year, the French company Air Liquide acquired the U.S.-based Airgas for $10.3 billion, becoming the second-largest industrial gases company in North America after Praxair. This acquisition by Praxis will result in an industry giant with a market value of over $60 billion. This news undoubtedly caused a huge stir in the industry, and it is surely one of the largest and most notable corporate mergers of this year. The merger of the two companies is advantageous from an internal structure perspective; in addition to cost savings, it also helps to better balance the regional development strategies and product portfolios of both companies. Linde focuses on developing its large-scale medical gas and engineering business areas, while Praxair emphasizes the prospects in the oil processing sector. Additionally, Linde’s operations are primarily concentrated in Europe and Asia, whereas Praxair’s operations are mainly based in the Americas. When the merger news broke, it caused the stocks of both companies to soar. However, many analyses suggest that once the two companies merge and hold over 40% of the global gas market share, it will inevitably raise antitrust concerns among regulatory authorities. As for why this merger was terminated, no official explanation from the two companies has been provided yet; perhaps this is also one of the important reasons. According to Zhuochuang’s data, Praxair and Linde hold a market share of around 8% in China, with their operations mainly concentrated in the East, North, and South China regions. The breakdown of negotiations will have little impact on their investments in the Chinese market.