HONG KONG — A Hong Kong conglomerate that had agreed to sell its two ports at the Panama Canal said Monday it may seek a Chinese investor to join a consortium of buyers, a move that could please Beijing but bring more U.S. scrutiny to the geopolitically fraught deal.
CK Hutchison Holdings’ initial plan to sell port assets in dozens of countries to a group that includes U.S. investment firm BlackRock Inc. pleased U.S. President Donald Trump, who has alleged that China interferes with the critical shipping lane’s operations in Panama. However, the deal apparently angered Beijing and drew a review by Chinese anti-monopoly authorities.
After months of uncertainty brought by tensions between Washington and Beijing, Hutchison said in a statement Monday that the exclusive negotiations period with the consortium had expired.
However, it added “the Group remains in discussions with members of the consortium with a view to inviting major strategic investor from the PRC to join as a significant member of the consortium,” referring to the People’s Republic of China.
It said it needed to change the membership of the consortium and the structure of the transaction for the deal to be able to pass reviews by “all relevant authorities.”
In Beijing, a Chinese official said the government had noted the announcement but did not comment directly on it.
“The Chinese government will conduct supervision in accordance with the law, firmly safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and maintain market fairness and justice,” Foreign Minist