Panama Backs Court End to Hutchison Port Deal as CK Hutchison Files Arbitration

Overview

• CK Hutchison’s Panama Ports Company says it has begun ICC arbitration over the canceled concession, alleging serious damages without disclosing a claim amount.
• Panama’s Supreme Court found the contract unconstitutional for conferring disproportionate advantages to the company and for an automatic 2021 renewal without proper oversight.
• President José Raúl Mulino rejected China’s warning of heavy costs and framed the outcome as a rule‑of‑law matter rather than a political decision.
• Operational control remains unsettled after the government named Maersk as a temporary administrator, with Mulino now saying PPC will continue running the terminals until implementation is defined.
• The annulment clouds CK Hutchison’s roughly $22.8–23 billion planned sale of 43 ports to a BlackRock‑ and MSC‑led consortium, as U.S. officials publicly welcomed Panama’s ruling.