Posted on October 22, 2025
President Donald Trump is escalating pressure on Panama to cut ties with Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holding Ltd. (CKHUF), which operates two major ports at both ends of the Panama Canala corridor responsible for roughly 40% of U.S. container traffic. The move aligns with a broader U.S. effort to reduce Beijing’s sway over critical maritime chokepoints, following reports that a BlackRock-led consortium offered nearly $23 billion to buy 43 of Hutchison’s ports, including those in Panama. U.S. officials argue the Chinese-controlled sites could potentially slow naval deployments to Asia during a Taiwan crisis, transforming what was once a logistics issue into a matter of strategic urgency.
Over the past two decades, China has methodically built an empire of more than 90 deepwater ports across every continent except Antarctica. These holdings include a third of Africa’s commercial hubs and 34 of the world’s 100 busiest ports, operated by giants like China Cosco Shipping Corp. and China Merchants Port. From Piraeus in Greecewhere Cosco has doubled revenues since 2016to Chancay in Peru and Lekki in Nigeria, Beijing’s investments have reshaped global trade routes. Each project carries dual benefits: boosting China’s export efficiency while potentially giving it leverage at key maritime chokepoints. U.S. and European analysts say the network’s scale blurs the line between commerce and strategy, especially as Chinese vessels gain access to ports once viewed as purely civilian.
Washington’s allies are taking notice. Australia is preparing to reclaim Darwin Port from China’s Landbridge Group after years of political controversy, while the European Commission has floated tighter screening on foreign ownership of transport infrastructure. India, too, has grown uneasy over Chinese-funded ports in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Yet despite the mounting resistance, experts believe Beijing’s influence may already be too entrenched to reverse. As Isaac Kardon of the Carnegie Endowment puts it, China’s global web of ports has evolved into both a shield for its trade ambitions and a sword of geopolitical leverageone that even coordinated Western policy may struggle to blunt.
