2 חברות אמריקניות וחברה שוויצרית רוכשות נמלים באזור תעלת פנמה

A new move could shake up maritime trade in the Panama Canal and beyond. Investment company BlackRock and others are buying up ports on the Key Waterway. The seller operates dozens of ports across the globe, this after pressure from President Trump to limit China's influence in the region. NTD's David Lam reports. A group of investors has agreed to purchase a majority stake in Hutchison Port Holdings, which is part of Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison, as announced on Tuesday. The company owns ports in the Panama Canal, the world's second busiest interoceanic waterway. The buyers include global infrastructure partners Terminal Investment and BlackRock, which is known as one of the world's largest asset managers. They'll control 80% of the Hutchison Ports Group, which operates 43 ports in 23 countries. But ports in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and other cities in China are excluded under the agreement. The group will also acquire 90% of Panama Ports Company, which operates the two ports in Balboa and Cristobal in Panama. CK Hutchison has been operating the ports for more than two decades. Although it's not financially tied to the Chinese regime, Hong Kong firms are subject to its oversight. The $22.8 billion deal would bring the key ports under U.S. corporate control. This comes after President Trump's pressure to limit China's influence in the region. The canal is key to global and U.S. trade, as two-thirds of goods passing through the channel heads into or out of the United States. David Lam, NTD News.