date:Jun 04, 2013
When Shuang-hui International Holdings Ltd announced it would acquire US pork processor Smithfield Foods Inc for $4.7 billion, the aspect of the deal that grabbed headlines was that it represented the biggest Chinese takeover of an American company. What hasn't been emphasized nearly enough is that the Smithfield deal could be just the first of numerous transactions tied to an ambitious new effort by Beijing to obtain raw materials needed to run its fast-growing economy, and particularly to meet