International and French firms have taken roles on two recent cross-border mandates involving Asian investment in Europe, a sign of the growing push by multinational firms to build their global presence through acquisitions and joint ventures on the continent.

In the first, Clifford Chance is fielding a multi-office team for Hitachi, the Japanese conglomerate, which has entered into exclusive negotiations to acquire the rail signaling and controls business of the French conglomerate Thales.