Panama Court to Hear Challenge to Hong Kong Firm’s Canal Concession

A cargo ship transits through the Panama Canal's Agua Clara locks on Gatun Lake in Colon, Panama on January 29, 2025. MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP

A Panama court has agreed to review the concession granted to a Hong Kong-based firm to operate ports on either end of the Panama Canal, which is the source of U.S. President Donald Trump’s concerns about Chinese influence over the waterway.

The Supreme Court has agreed to consider a request filed by a lawyer to nullify the contract with CK Hutchison Holdings, owned by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, Panama’s judicial branch said in a statement.

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