Panama AG Agrees Hong Kong Firm’s Canal Concession Is ‘Unconstitutional’

The Danish cargo ship Lars Maersk sails through the Agua Clara Locks of the Panama Canal in Colon City, Panama, on December 28, 2024. On 31 December 2024, Panama will celebrate the 25th anniversary of sovereignty over the Canal. ARNULFO FRANCO / AFP

Panama’s attorney general said Wednesday that a concession granted to a Hong Kong-based firm to operate ports on either end of the Panama Canal should be scrapped because it is “unconstitutional.”

The contract held by CK Hutchison Holdings, owned by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, has been at the root of U.S. President Donald Trump’s concerns for Chinese influence over the waterway.

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