China’s influence in Latin America may be significantly tested by the US revival of the Monroe Doctrine, as Washington’s attack on Venezuela is set to have a chilling effect on the region’s engagement with Beijing, analysts warn. In a surprise precision operation on Saturday, the US military struck Venezuela, captured its leader Nicolas Maduro and…
Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison’s US$22.8 billion global ports sale hung in the balance at the end of 2025, nearly 10 months after it was first announced, as a veteran political commentator said the most expensive terminal acquisition in history was unlikely to come to fruition amid geopolitical tensions. What began as a strategic exit…
A series of consequential political developments and controversies made 2025 a significant year for Hong Kong. Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s company CK Hutchison Holdings was caught in the crossfire of US-China tensions over a deal to sell its Panama Canal ports, which was eventually put on hold under pressure from Beijing. Locally, the city…
The State Department said last month that it would “restrict US visas for Central American nationals … intentionally acting on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party” and who “knowingly direct, authorise, fund, provide significant support to, or carry out activities that undermine the rule of law in Central America”. “The United States, under the guise…
A U.S. guided-missile cruiser, USS Lake Erie, was seen crossing the Panama Canal from the Pacific to the Caribbean on Friday night, after the Trump administration deployed warships near the coast of Venezuela. AFP journalists saw the naval vessel passing through one of the canal’s locks at around 9:30 pm and navigating east toward the…
CK Hutchison Holdings’ controversial US$23 billion deal to sell 43 overseas ports – including two at the Panama Canal – will not be completed this year, group co-managing director Frank Sixt said in a post-results briefing on Thursday. Sixt updated analysts about the progress of the proposed sale after the company posted a 92 per…
Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison Holdings has called for the rule of law to be respected after Panama took legal action to nullify its ports contracts, with the country’s leader also suggesting its operations be taken over by state partnerships. Legal experts said on Friday that the Hong Kong-based conglomerate could face “significant…
A state partnership would fundamentally alter the operating structure of two key Panama Canal ports and could trigger significant losses for Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison Holdings, which was facing mounting hurdles over a US$23 billion asset sale, experts said. The Hong Kong-based conglomerate is in the grip of a legal and political…
Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison Holdings has called for the rule of law to be respected after Panama took legal action to nullify its ports contracts, with the country’s leader also suggesting its operations be taken over by state partnerships. Legal experts said on Friday that the Hong Kong-based conglomerate could face “significant…
Panama’s chief prosecutor said on Tuesday that more than 160 actions have been taken so far in a high-profile investigation into alleged wrongdoing by Panama Ports Company, the unit of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings that operates two Panama Canal ports, as the country finds itself in the crosshairs of a deepening power struggle between…