Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:
Hong Kong's richest man is in hot water over his
company's Panama Canal ports deal (1/2)
AP - KANIS LEUNG
Wed, March 19, 2025 at 9:26 p.m. PDT 6 min read
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s business empire is in the crosshairs after CK Hutchison Holdings chose to sell its Panama Canal port assets to a consortium that includes U.S. investment firm BlackRock Inc., apparently angering Beijing.
Over the past week, Beijing's Hong Kong affairs offices have posted scathing commentaries from a local state-backed media outlet over the tentative deal by Hutchison, which is controlled by Li’s family.
That raises questions about the deal and highlights the difficulties Hong Kong businesses face as they balance demands from Beijing for national loyalty and their own capitalist interests in the once free-wheeling Asian financial hub. Here's what to know about the issue.
Hong Kong’s richest tycoon
Nicknamed “Superman,” Li is among the world’s 50 richest people, with Forbes calculating his net worth at $38 billion. Li, 96, retired from his position as chairman of CK Hutchison in 2018, succeeded by his elder son Victor. But he's still one of Hong Kong's most influential figures.
Li's rags-to-riches story paralleled the former British colony’s rise. His business empire touches almost every aspect of daily life in Hong Kong, from properties and supermarkets to telecommunications and utilities. Globally, his conglomerate owns assets including British drugstore chain Superdrug and European mobile phone network operator Three.
A Hutchison subsidiary has operated ports at both ends of the Panama Canal since 1997. That was one reason U.S. President Donald Trump has alleged Chinese interference with the critical shipping lane's operations.
Li's ties with Beijing
Li’s influence extends beyond business. He has met with top Chinese leaders and has served on the elite committee that selected Hong Kong’s leader.
Experts on ties between Beijing and Hong Kong said ruling Communist Party leaders once understood that support from the business sector was crucial for maintaining Hong Kong’s capitalist system. It has been strategically vital for mainland China’s economy, given the role their global networks and resources play in the country’s development. So, Li has had notable political influence.
But Li has faced criticism over some business decisions. When he sold off some mainland Chinese assets in 2015, an article published by a think tank affiliated with Chinese official news agency Xinhua accused him of being immoral.
During pro-democracy protests in 2019, Li was blasted by some pro-Beijing supporters for his perceived ambivalence about the unrest. Some other Hong Kong business leaders adopted a harsher stance.
Panama ports deal
CK Hutchison announced March 4 that it would sell all its shares in Hutchison Port Holdings and in Hutchison Port Group Holdings to the consortium that also includes BlackRock subsidiary Global Infrastructure Partners and Terminal Investment Limited, which is chaired by Italian shipping scion Diego Aponte, whose family reportedly has a longstanding relationship with Li’s.
If approved, the deal, valued at nearly $23 billion including $5 billion in debt, will give the consortium control over 43 ports in 23 countries, including the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, located at either end of the canal. The transaction does not include ports in Hong Kong or mainland China. CK Hutchison said the transaction was purely commercial in nature.
The deal pleased Trump but angered Beijing.
Comments on popular posts about the deal on Chinese social media platform Weibo tend to be more critical than favorable toward Li.
Chief Executive John Lee avoided direct criticism of the deal or Trump, but told reporters on Tuesday his government opposes bullying tactics in international economic and trade relations, reiterating Beijing's stance.
(to be continued)
Translation
香港首富因其公司參與的巴拿馬運河港口交易而陷入困境 (1/2)
香港（美聯社）—長江和記實業選擇將其巴拿馬運河港口資產出售給包括美國投資公司貝萊德 (BlackRock Inc.) 在內的財團，此舉顯然激怒了北京方面，香港大亨李嘉誠的商業帝國因此陷入危險。
過去一星期，北京的香港事務辦公室發佈了香港地方官媒的嚴厲評論，批評李嘉誠家族控制的和記黃埔的這項臨時交易。
這引發了人們對該協議的質疑，並凸顯香港企業在平衡北京對國家忠誠的要求和香港這個曾經自由放任的亞洲金融中心的自身資本主義利益時面臨的困難。以下是有關此問題需要了解的資訊。
香港首富
李嘉誠綽號 “超人” ，是全球 50 位富豪之一，根據《福布斯》估計，他的淨資產為 380 億美元。現年 96 歲的李嘉誠於 2018 年辭去長江和記主席一職，由其長子李澤鉅接任。但他仍然是香港最具影響力的人物之一。
李嘉誠的白手起家故事與香港這個前英國殖民地的崛起歷程相似。他的商業帝國幾乎涉及香港日常生活的方方面面，從房地產、超市到電信和公用事業。在全球範圍內，他的企業集團擁有的資產包括英國連鎖藥局 Superdrug 和歐洲行動電話網路營運商 Three。
和記黃埔的一家子公司自 1997 年以來一直運營巴拿馬運河兩端的港口。這就是美國總統特朗普指控中國干涉這條關鍵航道營運的原因之一。
李嘉誠與北京的關係
李嘉誠的影響力不僅限於商業。他曾與中國高層領導人會面，並曾擔任選出香港特首的精英委員會成員。
研究北京和香港關係的專家表示，執政的共產黨領導人曾經明白，商界的支持對於維護香港的資本主義制度至關重要。鑑於其全球網絡和資源在國家發展中發揮的作用，它對中國大陸的經濟具有重要的戰略意義。所以，李嘉誠的政治影響力是顯著的。
但李嘉誠的一些商業決策也受到批評。 2015年，當他出售一些中國大陸資產時，中國官方通訊社新華社下屬一家智庫發表的一篇文章指責他不道德。
在2019年的民主抗議活動中，李嘉誠因對暴動表現出矛盾態度而遭到一些親北京支持者的抨擊。其他一些香港商界領袖採取了更嚴厲的立場。
巴拿馬港口協議
長江和記 3 月 4 日宣布，將把所持有的和記港口控股及和記港口集團控股的全部股份出售給一個財團，該財團還包括貝萊德的子公司 Global Infrastructure Partners 和 Terminal Investment Limited，後者的董事長是意大利航運世家 Diego Aponte，據報道 Aponte 與李嘉誠有著長期的合作關係。。
如果獲得批准，該交易價值近 230 億美元，其中包括 50 億美元的債務，將使該財團控制 23 個國家的 43 個港口，包括位於運河兩端的 Balboa 港和 Cristobal 港。此次交易不包括香港和中國大陸的港口。長江和記表示，此次交易純屬商業性質。
這筆協議令特朗普很高興，但卻激怒了北京。
一家北京支持的地方報紙的評論文章稱，這筆交易是對所有中國人的背叛，並表示該公司應該考慮一下自己該站在哪一邊。另一家則表示，偉大的企業家都是愛國者，並暗示與掠奪性的美國政客「共舞」的商人將注定背負惡名。
中國社群媒體平台微博上有關這筆交易的熱門貼文的評論對李嘉誠的批評多於贊同。
香港行政長官李家超避免直接批評該協議或特朗普，但周二對記者表示，其政府反對在國際經貿關係中採取霸凌手段，並重申了北京的立場。
（繼續）
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