Category: Infrastructure

What to Watch After China’s Strategic Setback at the Panama Canal

On Thursday last week, Panama’s Supreme Court delivered a ruling that was felt in some of the highest offices in both Beijing and Washington. The court declared that the concession granting control of the Balboa and Cristobal ports to Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based ...

As China Builds the Grid, Laos’s Power Ambitions Enter a New Phase

2026 marks a strategic turning point for Laos in its ambition to become the “Battery of Southeast Asia”, with two mega power transmission projects advancing this year. On the first day of January 2026, the 230 kV Thavieng-Mahaxay transmission line ...

Why the Belt and Road Is Back in a Big Way

There's been a lot of discussion in recent years about the financial health of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Critics contend the BRI became overstretched, bankrupting borrowers and straining creditors suffering from a weakening Chinese economy.

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Confusing Developments in “Development”

This week I’m in Brussels, where I took part in a workshop on how the EU should shape its development strategy in response to China’s global influence.
I have joked in the past that it feels like I’ve attended this same ‘EU, Africa, and External Development Partners’ conference for ten years straight. 

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CK Hutchison Begins Arbitration Against Panama Over Annulled Canal Contract

Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison said in a statement Tuesday it has initiated international arbitration against Panama, after a ruling by the country's top court annulled a concession allowing it to operate ports at the Panama Canal. Panama's Supreme Court last ...

China Warns Panama of ‘Heavy Prices’ to Pay After CK Hutchison Contract Quashed

China warned Panama on Tuesday there would be "heavy prices" to pay after a court ruling there annulled Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison's contract to operate two ports at the Panama Canal. China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office called the ruling ...

Peru Exports Jump as China Trade Accelerates After Chancay Port Launch

Peru's exports hit a new record in 2025, jumping 21% from the prior year, fueled by the launch of a massive port on the country's central coast. The South American country's exports totaled $90.08 billion last year, thanks to higher sales ...

China Calls Panama Court Ruling on CK Hutchison Port Contracts ‘Shameful, Pathetic’

China on Tuesday called a Panama court ruling annulling CK Hutchison's contracts to operate two Panama Canal ports "absurd," "shameful and pathetic," and vowed to defend Chinese firms' interests. Panama's Supreme Court last week annulled key contracts Panama Ports Company, a ...

As Australia Reconsiders Darwin Port, China’s Media Find Common Cause

Two prominent Chinese media outlets, often seen as occupying opposite ends of the political spectrum, voiced similar concerns over Australia’s call for China to give up Darwin Port - although from different perspectives. Caixin, a business news publication widely seen ...

After a Panama Port Decision, Washington Faces Hard Choices on China and the Canal

U.S. government officials celebrated last week's decision by the Supreme Court in Panama to nullify the contract for a Hong Kong-based company to operate ports along the country's two coasts, leading into the canal zone. A lot of people erroneously thought ...

After Panama Port Ruling, False Claims Spread About China’s Role in the Canal

The Panamanian Supreme Court ruling that annulled Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison's contracts to operate a pair of ports on either side of the Panama Canal prompted loud, triumphant reaction from conservative and MAGA stakeholders, including many who took to X to incorrectly declare "China had been kicked ...

China Bristles After Panama Court Strips Hong Kong Firm of Canal Port Operations

The Chinese government reacted angrily to a Panamanian Supreme Court decision late last week that stripped Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison of operating two ports along the Panama Canal. The court ruled on Thursday that the concession for Panama Ports Company, a CK ...

Implications of Panama Court Ruling to Quash CK Hutchison Port Concessions

By Clare Jim, Kane Wu and Scott Murdoch Panama's Supreme Court annulled last week CK Hutchison's contract to operate two Panama Canal ports at the heart of a $23-billion deal to sell the Hong Kong conglomerate's global port assets.

U.S. Defense Strategy Signals a Harder Line on China in Latin America

In January, the Trump Administration published its 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS). The document, which was released without fanfare, confirms that a strategic shift is well underway in the Western Hemisphere, and Latin American and Caribbean states are on the receiving end of that shift.  

Hong Kong Port Operator Violated Panama’s Constitution, Failed to Serve Public Interest, Panama Court Ruled

The Supreme Court of Panama said a contract held by a Hong Kong company to operate ports at the Panama Canal failed to “serve the public interest and social welfare,” in its decision on Thursday voiding the contracts. While the court announced the decision on Thursday, it ...

Panama Ports Will Operate Undisrupted After CK Hutchison Ruling, President Says

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said on Friday that ports in the country will operate without disruption, despite a Supreme Court decision to annul key port contracts held by a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison. The ruling on Thursday left the ...
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