Beijing adamant it opposes ‘economic coercion, domineering and bullying’ as head of canal authority warns sale may jeopardise impartiality
China’s foreign ministry has said it respects Panama’s sovereignty and recognises its canal as a neutral international waterway, after the head of the strategic channel warned that the CK Hutchison ports deal could jeopardise its impartiality.
Panama Canal Authority administrator Ricaurte Vasquez said in an interview published on Tuesday that the US$23 billion deal between CK Hutchison Holdings and a consortium led by BlackRock and MSC could result in a concentration of operators that would be “inconsistent with neutrality.”
He also reportedly said that a request from the US government to allow its ships to pass through the canal free of charge was not feasible under the waterway’s current regulations.
Responding to a question about recent reports on the matter on Wednesday, Lin Jian, the spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Beijing had always firmly opposed economic coercion, domineering and bullying.
