China ramps up attacks against Li Ka-shing’s Panama Canal deal

HONG KONG — Chinese state media escalated criticism of CK Hutchison, the Hong Kong-based conglomerate owned by tycoon Li Ka-shing’s family, arguing that its agreement to sell Panama Canal port assets to a consortium led by U.S. investment firm BlackRock is unpatriotic.

Ta Kung Pao, a daily Chinese-language newspaper controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong, published an opinion piece on Saturday under the headline, “Great businesspeople are all eminent patriots.”