Under Trump's pressure, China's CK Hutchinson sells canal stakes

Under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, the Chinese company CK Hutchinson decided to sell a majority stake in two ports along the Panama Canal to the American investment firm BlackRock. This information was reported by Bloomberg. This transaction is part of a larger sale involving 43 ports in 23 countries, excluding facilities in mainland China and Hong Kong.

The company also held a stake in the port of Gdynia, which may also be included in the transaction.

The sale of shares by CK Hutchinson was seen as an opportunity to profit amidst global geopolitical tensions and trade barriers that weakened the prospects of port operations. Senior economist at the investment bank Natixis SA, Gary Ng, assessed it as a "perfect example of turning geopolitical risk into opportunity." Following the transaction, the company's shares rose by 25%, adding nearly £4 billion to its market value.

Vincent Lam, the chief investment officer at the consultancy firm VL Asset Management, stated that "CK Hutchison is sandwiched between China and the US and is unable to please anyone." On the other hand, Frank Sixta from CK Hutchinson declared that the transaction is purely commercial and has nothing to do with recent political reports concerning the Panama ports.

The New York Times noted that BlackRock's acquisition of stakes in the ports exemplifies Trump's foreign policy under the banner "America First." Historian Prof. Peter James Hudson from the University of British Columbia posed the rhetorical question, "Where is Panama's voice in this matter?" suggesting that Panama is lost in Trump's political efforts.

Panama's president, José Raúl Mulino, seems to downplay the geopolitical significance of this matter, describing it on social media as "a global transaction between private companies."