China has summoned representatives from Danish shipping giant Maersk and Swiss-based MSC to a meeting on international shipping practices. The move comes after Panama cancelled contracts for two canal ports previously held by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison.
The dispute centres on the Balboa and Cristóbal terminals near the Panama Canal. In February, Panama moved to cancel CK Hutchison’s concession and handed temporary control to Maersk’s APM Terminals Panama and MSC during a transition period.
China has already criticised Panama’s handling of the case. Earlier in February, Beijing called the Panamanian court ruling against CK Hutchison “shameful” and warned Panama it would pay a “heavy price.”
The latest meeting adds a new diplomatic layer to a case that has already triggered legal threats from CK Hutchison and raised wider questions about control of strategic infrastructure around the Panama Canal.
