China Merchants Group is in talks to invest in port assets owned by French shipping company CMA CGM as the state-owned firm seeks to diversify geographically and boost capacity, people familiar with the matter said. China Merchants is considering spending at least several hundred million U.S. dollars on the potential transaction, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. It may opt to do the deal through Hong Kong-listed unit China Merchants Port Holdings Co., the people said.