Food giant Danone and China's largest soft drink maker Wahaha put an amicable end to their long-standing feud yesterday, with the French firm selling its full 51-per-cent stake in their joint ventures.
The deal between the companies, which together ran 39 joint ventures, is still subject to the approval of Chinese authorities but has the "support" of the governments in Paris and Beijing, the firms said in a statement.
"The completion of this settlement will put an end to all legal proceedings related to the disputes between the two parties," they said.
The statement did not give any financial details of the deal, and Wahaha spokesman Shan Qining delcined to release any figures.
The feud began when Danone said it had discovered that Wahaha chairman Zong Qinghou had set up an entire production and distribution network in parallel to the French firm's joint ventures with Wahaha.
In mid-2007 the French firm sought an arbitration ruling, accusing the Chinese beverage gaint of breach of agreement by selling Wahaha-branded drinks without its permission.
"The collaboration between Danone and Wahaha helped to build a strong and respected leader in the Chinese beverage industry," Danone chairman and chief executive Franck Riboud said in the statement.
"We are confident that Wahaha will continue to be highly successful under its future management."
Danone remains committed to China, Riboud said, adding the company was "keen to accelerate the success of our Chinese activities".
The dispute had sparked a series of retaliatory moves in China and abroad, including in the United States and Sweden.
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