HONG KONG — China’s market regulator on Friday said it will review Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings’ deal to sell dozens of global port assets, including two at the Panama Canal, to a consortium led by U.S. investment fund BlackRock.
The announcement by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) marks the latest twist in a saga that started earlier this month, when the group controlled by tycoon Li Ka-shing’s family agreed to unload the ports. The arrangement — which came in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s vows to wrest control of the Panama Canal away from China — sparked relentless criticism from Chinese state media.
