Tengzhong talks with China regulators on Hummer bid

BEIJING, June 29 -- The potential buyer of General Motors Corp's Hummer division will begin formal talks with Chinese regulators today in an effort to win approval for its acquisition, The Wall Street Journal reported last Saturday.

China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery has agreed to buy the Hummer brand from the bankrupt United States auto maker but state radio in China said last Thursday that the country's top economic planning agency was likely to reject the bid.

A GM spokesman was not immediately available to comment on the Journal report while a Tengzhong spokeswoman said the Chinese company is working to get the deal done.

"We don't have a definitive agreement but we're developing our proposals with GM and Hummer and we'll continue to engage with the appropriate authorities in the appropriate manner," said Christina Stenson of the Brunswick Group, the public relations agency for Tengzhong.