By Samuel A. Lopez – USA Herald
March 04, 2025
In a seismic shift for global trade and U.S. national security, BlackRock Inc., alongside a powerful consortium, has struck a deal to acquire control of the ports flanking both ends of the Panama Canal. The agreement, finalized this week, sees the Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings offload its shares in units overseeing the Panama Ports Company—handing the reins of the strategic Balboa and Cristobal ports to American-led interests. The move follows months of escalating rhetoric from the Trump administration, which accused China of leveraging the vital shipping lane as a geopolitical chokehold.
This acquisition, brokered with Global Infrastructure Partners and Terminal Investment Limited, marks a bold assertion of U.S. influence over one of the world’s most critical maritime arteries. As cargo ships glide through the canal’s locks, the ports of Balboa on the Pacific and Cristobal on the Atlantic have long served as linchpins of international commerce.
Panama Pivot Points
