The highest court in Panama has nulled the ‘Chinese’ contract for the operation of both entrance ports on the Panama Canal. The Panamanian government took back control and assigned operations to APM Terminals, a subsidiary of the Danish group A.P. Moller-Maersk.
The state takeover comes after a 14-month long saga begun by President Trump who reasserted American interests in the hemisphere and rejected the concept of allowing China to have strategic control over such vital North American infrastructure.
President Trump did not mince words in December of 2024 when he said, “[The Panama Canal] was not given for the benefit of others, but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama,” Trump concluded. “If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question.” Marco Rubio was then dispatched as an intermediary in Feb 2025.
Then, last month, Panama’s Supreme Court struck down the law approving the concession contract for Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison (China/Hong Kong). The court ruling also invalidated an extension granted in 2021, stripping the port operations of any current legal standing. Now, Panama has taken over.
(MSM) – The government of Panama has seized control of two ports on either end of the Panama Canal from a Hong Kong conglomerate following a recent ruling by the country’s Supreme Court.
Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison said on Tuesday that Panama’s government had “made direct physical entry into the terminals at Balboa and Cristobal” and assumed “administrative and operational control” over the two ports on the Panama Canal.
The company said the “unlawful” takeover reflects the culmination of a campaign by the Panamanian state against its subsidiary, Panama Ports, following the Supreme Court ruling last month.
According to a government decree, the Panama Maritime Authority has been authorised to occupy the ports for “reasons of urgent social interest”, according to The Associated Press (AP) news agency. (read more)
[…] Panama’s government announced days ago that it will guarantee the continuity of port operations and job stability, and that APM Terminals, a subsidiary of the Danish group A.P. Moller-Maersk, would temporarily assume the administration of the terminals while a new contract is awarded.
Meanwhile, CK Hutchison Holdings started arbitration proceedings against Panama under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce. It’s unclear what the impact of the proceedings would be and how long they could take. It also threatened to sue APM Terminals, if it operates the concession. The Danish group responded that it’s not a party to the legal proceedings.
A PPC spokesperson told local media last week that the company was seeking an agreement with the Panamanian government to continue operating. (more)
Thank you, Sundance!
Additional perspective here: https://hisbest.org/interviews/
Sheila Holm interviewed by John Michael Chambers.
TRUMP: Coming at you like a freight train rolling…
Don’t ya know me – I’m your native son
I’m the train they call The City of New Orleans – I’ll be gone 500 miles when the day is done. Love this song.
News like this ALWAYS reminds me of Van Halen’s signature tune …
Looks like the US Festival.
Actually the song was about a car…………..
Despite its name, the song has nothing to do with the country. Instead, the song was reportedly written about a car.[6][7] In an interview with Howard Stern, lead singer David Lee Roth explained the meaning behind the song. Although the song features some suggestive lyrics, it is about a car that Roth saw race in Las Vegas; its name was “Panama Express”, hence the title of the song.[8][7]
Panama was also the name of Roth’s Opel Kadett.[
Went through the canal last Nov on a Dutch cruise ship. I don’t see that these container ports have anything to do with the actual canal, other than being in the area. I suppose you could dream up a scenario where the Chinese could stage forces there, but I think that would be apparent.
My Dad was stationed at NAS Coco Solo CZ during WWII. Had lots of stories but the thing that made the most impression was the whole “gold/silver” thing. As a 19 year old who grew up in Wisconsin, that sort of discrimination was totally foreign to him.
I will be going thru just the eastern end of the Canal on a Dutch cruise ship in two weeks. That’s after I visit the cartels in Cartagena (just kidding) the day before.
Is it just coincidence that the company now operating the entrances is Danish? Hmm.
What you think China which turns a blind eye to the precursor chemical trade just because Marxist dialect see the US open to generational evisceration under the guise that our citizens are free to the exercise of choice to self destruction as an social argument.
Would have no repercussions.
Sorry Panda, but you can just go home now.
Very good development. But know this: it won’t matter if you let socialists, communists and islamists continue to operate inside the the United States, organize at will, run for public office and steal elections, and fund insurrection.
Yeah…… This is problematic. Imagine that you invested in a project after having been assured by the government your project was approved and legal. Then, after the fact, after intense pressure from an external government, and after you’ve poured in your money, the courts say “Ooopsie, that contract that our government gave you? Well, that was unconstitutional” Hmmmm…..
If there’s a China – Panama investment treaty, Panama should owe not only the value of the upgrades, but also the lost profits caused by that ruling. (I’m sure any US company would demand exactly the same thing if this happened to them) Of course the blame falls on the Panamanians and their feckless government, but this is not something to crow about. US companies with overseas investments, should beware.