2026年2月15日 星期日

巴拿馬廢除香港公司的運河港口營運合約 (2/2)

Recently Google News on-line picked up the following:

Panama voids Hong Kong-based firm's canal port contracts (2/2)

BBC - By Amy Walker and Suranjana Tewari, Asia business correspondent

31 Jan 2026

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In response, PPC said the new ruling lacks legal basis, and "jeopardises not only PPC and its contract, but also the well-being and stability of thousands of Panamanian families who depend directly and indirectly on port activity".

Its statement added that it had invested more than $1.8bn (£1.3bn) in infrastructure and technology since it began operating the ports in 1997.

Mulino said ports in the country will continue to operate without disruption despite the ruling.

APM Terminals Panama, a subsidiary of Danish shipping company Maersk, will temporarily manage the Balbao and Cristóbal sites.

The company told the BBC in a statement that it "aims to mitigate any risks that could impact essential services for regional and global trade".

On Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that the country would take "all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies".

Hong Kong's government also said it firmly rejected the ruling.

The Panamanian court's decision could disrupt plans by CK Hutchison to sell its interests in ports worldwide to a consortium led by US investment firm BlackRock and shipping group MSC under a deal worth $22.8bn.

Both firms have been contacted for comment by the BBC.

The sale was widely seen as an attempt by CK Hutchison to reduce political risk in sensitive locations while raising money from valuable assets.

Trump had previously hailed the plans, which would place key assets under majority US ownership, while the Chinese government had criticised them for not being in the national interest.

Markets reacted quickly to the court decision.

CK Hutchison's shares fell 4.6% in Hong Kong trading, pushing down the Hang Seng Index down by more than 2% - a sign of both the company's importance to the market and growing investor concern about political risk.

Up to 14,000 ships use the 51-mile (82km) Panama Canal each year as a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific.

The waterway, which handles about 5% of global maritime trade volume, is operated by the Panama Canal Authority, an agency of the Panamanian government.

From October 2023 to September 2024, China accounted for 21.4% of the cargo volume transiting the canal, making it the second-largest user after the US.

Translation

巴拿馬廢除香港公司的運河港口營運合約(2/2)

(繼續)

 PPC 回應稱新裁決缺乏法律依據,「不僅危及 PPC 及其合同,也危及數千個直接或間接依賴港口活動的巴拿馬家庭的福祉和穩定」。

該公司在聲明中補充說,自 1997 年開始運營這些港口以來,已在基礎設施和技術方面投資超過 18 億美元(13 億英鎊)。

Mulino表示,儘管有此裁決,巴拿馬的港口仍將繼續正常運營,不會受到影響。

丹麥航運公司馬士基的子公司 APM Terminals Panama 將暫時管理Balbao港和Cristóbal港。

該公司在給 BBC 的聲明中表示,「這旨在降低任何可能影響區域和全球貿易基本服務的風險」。

週五,中國外交部發言人郭家琨表示,中國將採取「一切必要措施,堅決維護中國企業的合法權益」。

香港特區政府也表示堅決反對這項裁決。

巴拿馬法院的裁決可能會擾亂長江和記實業有限公司(CK Hutchison)將其在全球港口的權益出售給由美國投資公司貝萊德(BlackRock)和航運集團MSC牽頭的財團的計劃,該交易價值228億美元。

BBC已聯繫這兩家公司徵求評論。

此次出售被廣泛視為長江和記實業有限公司試圖降低敏感地區的政治風險,同時從其寶貴資產中籌集資金。

特朗普先前曾對該計劃表示讚賞,該計劃將使關鍵資產由美國控股,而中國政府則批評該計劃不符合其國家利益。

市場對法院的裁決迅速做出反應。

長江和記實業的股票在香港交易中下跌4.6%,拖累恆生指數下跌超過2%,這不僅顯示該公司對市場的重要性,也反映出投資人對政治風險日益增長的擔憂。

每年有多達14,000艘船舶使用全長82公里(51英里)的巴拿馬運河作為連接大西洋和太平洋的捷徑。

這條水道承擔著全球約5%的海運貿易量,由巴拿馬運河管理局運營,該機構是巴拿馬政府的下屬機構。

202310月到20249月,中國佔巴拿馬運河貨運量的21.4%,是僅次於美國的第二大用戶。

So, after China interferes with a Hong Kong company the CK Hutchison’s decision to sell its interests in ports on the Panama Canal, Panama's Supreme Court annuls CK Hutchison’s contract signed years ago that allows this company to operate container ports. The Chinese government criticizes this court’s decision. Apparently, Beijing's tighter political control over Hong Kong in recent years and its potential involvements in the operation of private companies have changed how Hong Kong companies are perceived internationally: business transactions become more political.

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