Generally speaking, the Department of Commerce certainly could not agree to this merger.
Even though America was a country that advocated for free trade, it was unlikely for them to allow a foreign company to borrow tens of billions of dollars from their own banks and use these loans to acquire companies in their own countries.
If this kind of merger were successful, a series of assets including technology, talent, and market share would exit the country. The Americans would certainly not get any benefits.
Not to mention that SubCom itself had a monopoly in the industry. There was no reason for a company like this to be allowed to merge with overseas companies.
However, the current situation was obviously extraordinary.
The acquisition of SubCom by East Asia Communications wasn't just a business transaction; it was also the result of a compromise from a political battle.