French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire dismissed talk of a merger between Renault SA (ENXTPA:RNO) and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (TSE:7201), despite Japanese media reports that France was pushing for it. Le Maire's remarks were made during his visit to Cairo. Earlier, Japanese media said France wants a merger between Renault and Nissan following the arrest of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn on the charges of financial misconduct.

"The subject is not on the table today. What is on the table today is the governance of Renault,” Le Maire told journalists during a visit to Cairo. Kyodo News reported that the merger request was made by a delegation including Martin Vial, a Renault Direction Designated by the French government, during the talks with Japanese officials in Tokyo.

Kyodo said a merger between the two was favoured by French President Emmanuel Macron. Nikkei had also reported the merger request by a French delegation, saying Nissan had been opposed to giving Paris greater sway over the Nissan.