Beijing-linked conglomerate loses two strategic terminals as US-China rivalry reshapes global trade Panama Takes Control of Two Canal Ports From Hong Kong Giant CK HutchisonIn a dramatic escalation of geopolitical tensions surrounding one of the world's most vital shipping corridors, Panamanian authorities physically seized control of two strategic Panama Canal ports on February 24, 2026, removing employees of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison from the Balboa and Cristobal terminals and handing temporary operations to Danish shipping giant Maersk and Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).The takeover follows a ruling by Panama's Supreme Court in late January declaring CK Hutchison's concession contracts unconstitutional, a verdict that became legally binding when published in Panama's official gazette on February 24. CK Hutchison's subsidiary, Panama Ports Company (PPC), had operated both terminals for nearly three decades under concessions most recently renewed in 2021 for another 25 years.Employees Threatened With Criminal ProsecutionCK Hutchison said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that Panamanian authorities made "direct physical entrance" into both terminals and assumed administrative and operational control. Company staff were told to leave immediately and threatened with criminal prosecution if they refused to comply or attempted to maintain contact with the firm.The company called the entire process unlawful, saying the court ruling, the executive decree, the termination of PPC's concession, and the physical takeover…
Investigators find city firms shipped $28 million in Western military components to Moscow with no sanctions penalty Hong Kong Companies Funneling European Military Technology to Russia, Investigators FindHong Kong has become the world's most important transshipment node for routing Western military technology to Russia's war machine in Ukraine, according to a damning new investigative report published by the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation and reported by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in February 2026. The findings reveal that a small group of Hong Kong and mainland China-based traders have moved hundreds of semiconductors, sensors, electrical connectors, and microchip components -- many of them produced by major European technology companies -- into Russian weapons systems, all while evading international sanctions.The report, titled "Bypassing the Blockade," is based on Ukraine's defense ministry database of foreign components recovered from destroyed or captured Russian weapons, cross-referenced with export records and corporate filings. The findings are the latest in a series of CFHK investigations that have identified Hong Kong as the premier global conduit for procuring Western technology for Russia, Iran, and North Korea -- a role that the city's government has enabled by refusing to enforce any Western sanctions, recognizing only those imposed by the United Nations.Seven Traders, Twenty Companies, One Deadly PipelineResearchers identified seven Hong Kong and China-based traders who…
Beijing seeks to leverage the city's markets for global yuan dominance, but democracy's collapse undermines the strategy Beijing Bets on…
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Hong Kong Stocks Jump as Investors Flee US Assets Amid Trump Tariff Threat and Dollar Weakness – The Hang Seng surged as global capital rotated away from American equities and the US dollar, with Hong Kong and China emerging as unexpected safe havens
Jimmy Lai’s 20-Year Sentence Is an Assault on Press Freedom Everywhere – The jailing of Hong Kong’s most prominent media tycoon sends a chilling message to journalists around the world
Night King Smashes Records as Hong Kong Cinema Defies the Gloom With 53 Percent Box Office Rise – Director Jack Ng’s nightclub comedy delivered the biggest Chinese New Year opening day in Hong Kong history, proving local film culture is alive
The Hong Kong Billionaire Funneling US Pension Funds Into China’s AI Race – Neil Shen’s firm HSG has directed nearly $9 billion from American endowments and pension funds into Chinese AI ventures
Amnesty: Dismissing HK47 Appeals Was a Betrayal of Justice – Rights group condemns ruling as proof that Hong Kong courts have been weaponized against peaceful political opposition
Beijing’s Hong Kong White Paper Is Not a Policy Document — It Is a Threat Dressed in Legal Language – Bitter Winter’s Gladys Kwok finds a document full of triumphant language that functions as a warning: the era of political pluralism in Hong Kong is over by design
Hong Kong Government Plans to Buy Homes of Deadly Fire Victims – Authorities move to purchase devastated high-rise properties in unprecedented post-disaster housing intervention
Hong Kong Government Plans to Buy Burned-Out Homes at Wang Fuk Court in Unprecedented Relief Move – After a deadly high-rise fire killed multiple residents, authorities offered to purchase all seven affected blocks at prices owners consider reasonable
Hong Kong Budget Deficit Era Nears Its End, But Caution Reigns – City finances show signs of stabilization after years of red ink, yet deep structural challenges persist
HK47 Convictions Stand: A Closing Chapter for Hong Kong Democracy – Appeals court decision cements the imprisonment of a generation of pro-democracy leaders
How Hong Kong Became Russia’s Tech Lifeline in Ukraine War – Investigators find city firms shipped $28 million in Western military components to Moscow with no sanctions penalty
Panama Seizes CK Hutchison Ports in Canal Showdown – Beijing-linked conglomerate loses two strategic terminals as US-China rivalry reshapes global trade
Architect Andre Fu Walks Us Through the Hong Kong He Loves and Mourns – The celebrated designer finds beauty and memory in a city being remade by forces beyond its people’s control
Hong Kong Bank Tries to Sell Discounted Mansion as Property Crisis Deepens – Lender attempts to offload luxury property acquired at steep markdown, exposing ongoing real estate distress
Hong Kong 47 Appeal Dismissed: Democracy Crushed by Beijing Law – Court rejects every appeal in landmark case, leaving dozens of activists to serve years behind bars
Private Capital Is Circling Hong Kong Property Again – Blackstone’s reported bid for New World Development signals global institutions see distressed-value opportunity
US Investors Poured $15 Billion Into Hong Kong and China Stocks in 2025 Despite Trade War Fears – BNP Paribas data shows American institutional investors reversed course and became net buyers of Chinese equities as DeepSeek optimism and market valuations attracted capital
Could Hong Kong Become the Launchpad for China’s Bid to Challenge the Dollar’s Global Dominance? – US investors still poured $15 billion into Hong Kong and China stocks in 2025 — but China’s path to financial superpower status runs through a city whose rule of law is being dismantled
Hong Kong Markets Swing on US Tariff Ruling and Lunar New Year Reset – China stocks in Hong Kong surged after a US court struck down tariffs, then gave back gains as tech selling resumed
Madison Mourns: Hong Kong Cafe Faces Demolition After 30 Years on Regent Street – A beloved Cantonese dim sum restaurant and a century-old florist may fall to a 113-unit apartment development
The $436 Million Mystery: A Hong Kong Shell Company, a Chinese Passport, and BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF – Laurore Ltd broke its silence but raised more questions, as records link the IBIT stake to a mainland China passport holder who ‘prefers to keep a low profile’
Panama Seizes CK Hutchison Ports by Force as US-China Canal Battle Reaches Breaking Point – Armed with a Supreme Court ruling, Panama’s Maritime Authority physically occupied Balboa and Cristobal terminals on February 24
Wall Street Moves In: Citadel Securities Builds Out Hong Kong Equities Team – US trading powerhouse makes senior structured products hires as it pushes deeper into Asian markets
