Maersk and MSC were told not to, “engage in illegal activities that harm the interests of Chinese companies, and to uphold commercial ethics and international rules,” the report said.
Panama has granted temporary 18-month concessions to keep the terminals operating, with APM Terminals, a unit of Maersk, managing Balboa and TIL Panama, a unit of MSC, handling Cristobal.
CK Hutchison has faced heavy criticism from China since unveiling a plan in March 2025 to sell 43 ports in 23 countries, including the Balboa and Cristóbal ports, to a group led by BlackRock and Italian Gianluigi Aponte’s family-run shipping firm MSC.
(Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Subhranshu Sahu)