BlackRock Purchases Panama Canal Ports Amid Rising U.S.-China Tensions – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
1:48 PM – Tuesday, March 4, 2025
A company based in Hong Kong has reached an agreement to sell two terminals located at each end of the Panama Canal to BlackRock, a U.S. asset management firm that has faced allegations of securities fraud and collaboration with other investment firms to restrict coal production and increase consumer energy costs.
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“BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street formed a cartel to manipulate the coal market, artificially constrain the energy supply, and inflate prices,” Texas Attorney General Paxton stated during a press conference on November 27, 2024. “This conspiracy has adversely affected American energy production and harmed consumers. This represents a significant violation of both state and federal laws.”
CK Hutchinson Holdings, a logistics giant from Hong Kong, has announced plans for investors to acquire an 80% interest in a business that oversees ports in Panama, valuing the equity at $14.21 billion.
The deal revealed on Tuesday entails BlackRock and a consortium of investors investing $22.8 billion to purchase the ports of Balboa and Cristobal located at each end of the canal from CK Hutchinson.
“These premier ports drive global growth,” stated BlackRock CEO Larry Fink. “With our extensive connections to organizations like Hutchison and governments worldwide, we are increasingly becoming the first choice for partners seeking patient, long-term capital. We are excited that our clients can engage in this investment.”
President Donald Trump has intensified efforts to mitigate China’s substantial influence and authority over the Panama Canal.
“China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn’t transfer it to China; we gave it to Panama, and we are reclaiming it,” Trump asserted during his inaugural address. During a January press conference prior to his inauguration, Trump did not dismiss the possibility of utilizing military force or economic pressure to regain control of the canal.
Despite this, CK Hutchison emphasized that the transaction is unrelated to Trump’s pledge to “reclaim” the canal.
“I want to emphasize that the transaction is strictly commercial and entirely unrelated to recent political news concerning the Panama Ports,” said co-managing director Frank Sixt.
Additionally, the company has been operating the Balboa and Cristobal ports at the Pacific and Atlantic entrances of the canal for over twenty years.
The sale does not include any stakes in Hutchinson Port Holdings Trust, which oversees ports in Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and South China, or any other ports located in mainland China, according to the firm.
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