Trump was touting his Panama victory. Then China stepped in.
Source: NBC News
Trump was touting his Panama victory. Then China stepped in.
The tussle over two ports on the Panama Canal shows Beijing’s willingness to assert its power as the U.S. attempts to roll back Chinese presence in the Western Hemisphere.
April 8, 2025, 12:00 PM EDT / Updated April 9, 2025, 4:54 AM EDT
By Mithil Aggarwal
HONG KONG — A huge deal President Donald Trump touted as a victory in his campaign to “take back” the Panama Canal from China could be on the rocks amid pushback from Beijing.
The $23 billion sale involving two ports run by CK Hutchison, a private company based in the Chinese territory of Hong Kong, to a consortium led by the U.S. investment firm BlackRock had been scheduled to be signed last week.
But an agreement between the two has been delayed under pressure from China, whose market regulator launched a review of the deal as state-run newspapers attacked it as undermining China’s national interests.
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Why is it important?
In his inaugural speech in January, Trump claimed without providing evidence that China controlled the 50-mile canal and vowed that the United States will take back the waterway, which he said was “vital” to national security. The Panamanian government has administered the U.S.-built canal since the United States relinquished it to the Central American country in 1999.
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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/trump-panama-canal-take-back-military-china-blackrock-rcna199438
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