Panama's Supreme Court has annulled contracts allowing a Hong Kong-based company, CK Hutchison Holding, to operate container ports on the Panama Canal. The ruling follows a year after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that China was operating the Panama Canal in his inaugural speech.
CK Hutchison, through its subsidiary Panama Ports Company (PPC), has been operating two of the five ports on the canal since the 1990s. The court found that the laws under which the contracts were formed were unconstitutional. In response, PPC stated that the ruling lacks legal basis and endangers the livelihoods of thousands of Panamanian families dependent on port operations.
The court's decision has been viewed as a significant development in the context of U.S.-China rivalry over global trade routes. Trump and senior U.S. officials have previously expressed concerns about China's influence in Panama. Despite claims from the U.S. administration, Panama's government has consistently rejected these assertions, reinforcing its sovereignty over the canal.
CK Hutchison, founded by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, is not state-owned and has invested heavily in the region. The ruling could disrupt CK Hutchison's plans to sell its port operations as part of a larger deal worth $22.8 billion with U.S. firms. Markets have reacted negatively, with the company's shares dropping significantly in the wake of the ruling.
APM Terminals Panama, a subsidiary of Maersk, is set to temporarily manage the operations at the Balboa and Cristóbal ports as the situation develops. The canal plays a crucial role in global trade, handling about 5% of the world's maritime shipping volume each year.
