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Germany’s semiconductor giant Aixtron has denounced U.S. interference in its pending takeover by a Chinese fund. The company said it would appeal to President Obama directly to approve the deal, along with its Chinese counterpart.

The announcement was released by Aixtron on its official website on Nov. 18. The equipment manufacturer said the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS) had suggested that Aixtron halt its takeover by China’s Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund, as the deal has raised potential security concerns. However, Aixtron and its Chinese partner have decided to disregard the recommendation, seeking alternative measures that allow the transaction to proceed.

Aixtron is one of only two companies that can produce metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) equipment, which can be used to manufacture light-emitting diodes, lasers, solar cells and other opto-electronic devices. Unlike its U.S. counterpart VEECO, Aixtron has been operating at a loss in recent years. 

According to Thepaper.cn, Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy approved the takeover on Sept. 8. Though GCI paid for around 65 percent of Aixtron’s stocks on Oct. 21, which is enough for the takeover to be completed, German authorities withdrew their approval three days later, restarting the evaluation procedure.

German newspaper Handelsblatt revealed on Oct. 25 that the withdrawal was due to U.S. interference. The U.S. government fears that China may acquire semiconductor technologies for military use. 

This is not the first time CFIUS has thwarted a Chinese company's attempt to enter the European market. In October 2015, a bid by Chinese investor Go Scale Capital for Royal Philips NV’s lighting-components unit was blocked by CFIUS, also due to alleged security reasons.

According to CFIUS rules, President Obama has 15 days to decide the fate of the deal. Over the course of his presidency so far, he has only used this power once, forcing a Chinese firm to divest from a wind project deemed too close to a U.S. Navy facility in Oregon.