Li Ka-shing's sale of Panama port business faces new turbulence.
According to foreign media today (August 2nd), after the Hong Kong richest man Li Ka-shing's Cheung Kong Holdings proposed to invite mainland Chinese investors to join the buyer consortium for the port business, Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo claimed that if the local court rules the contract for the renewal of Cheung Kong Holdings' port operation rights invalid, the government will reclaim the operation rights of two key ports and convert them into public-private partnerships.
Behind the incident, the traces of U.S. pressure are clear: after President Trump threatened to reclaim the operation rights of the Panama Canal, Secretary of State Rubio made a special trip to Panama to apply pressure in person. The Panamanian government could not withstand the pressure, first using tax inspections and other means to attempt to terminate the contract, and recently filing a lawsuit citing that the renewal contract "does not comply with legal procedures" in an attempt to declare the contract invalid. This move obviously violates the principles of market economy and the spirit of contract.
Under pressure, Cheung Kong Holdings announced in March this year that it plans to sell 43 ports worldwide, including two key ports along the Panama Canal, which has drawn attention and criticism from all sides. Analysts believe that the U.S.'s crude interference in Panama's affairs is not only to control key assets around the canal, but also contains a fear of Chinese investment possibly participating in the acquisition. The move by Cheung Kong Holdings to introduce mainland Chinese investors is both to deal with the current situation and reflects the adaptive logic of international capital in complex geopolitical games. Behind the dispute over the ports, it is actually a multi-dimensional struggle among major powers and commercial interests.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839325996582921/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.