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…
Beijing eyes the city as a strategic hub to challenge London and New York for global bullion market dominance Beijing…
The Long Arc of Communist Reconsolidation Hong Kong's democratic collapse is often dated to recent years, but this framing obscures…
The CCP's Capture of Lawyers, Bar Associations, and Due Process The Chinese Communist Party did not need to abolish Hong…
The CCP's Conversion of Markets Into Political Leverage For years, Hong Kong's economic success was cited as proof that political…
Beijing Summons Western Envoys Over Jimmy Lai Criticism as Diplomatic Tensions Escalate – China demands end to interference in Hong Kong affairs following international condemnation
Japanese Authorities Seize Chinese Fishing Vessel Near Nagasaki as Diplomatic Tensions Simmer By AppleDaily.uk Foreign Desk Japanese maritime authorities have detained a Chinese fishing vessel and arrested its captain after…
Hong Kong Airlines A330 Business Class: Budget-Friendly Flat Beds with Notable Service Gaps – Dated cabin and missing amenities offset by lower fares on regional routes
Hong Kong Universities Dramatically Expand Non-Local Student Quotas Amid Mainlandization Fears – Government raises international enrollment cap to 50 percent as diversity concerns mount
UAE Surpasses Hong Kong as Regional Trade Hub While Challenging Singapore – Emirates capitalizes on first-mover advantages as Hong Kong faces political headwinds
Hong Kong Valentine’s Day Flower Sales Bloom Despite Calendar Quirks and Economic Headwinds – Vendors report 20 percent growth as shoppers splash out on romantic gestures
Beijing’s Patience Pays Off: How Democracy Was Slowly Squeezed Out of Hong Kong – Incremental Control and the Art of Wearing a City Down
Why Hong Kong’s Collapse Was Rational, Not Chaotic – The Cold Logic Behind Communist Repression
From Handover to Handcuffs – A Timeline of Hong Kong’s Democratic Unraveling
How Hong Kong’s International Image Was Weaponized Against Itself – The CCP’s Use of Reputation as a Shield
Why Hong Kong Didn’t Realize It Was Being Taken Until It Was Too Late – The Psychological Warfare Behind Communist Control
Why Hong Kong’s Autonomy Could Never Be Defended in Court – The Limits of Law Against Communist Power
From Protest to Prison: How the Chinese Communist Party Crushed Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Movement – The Systematic Dismantling of Civic Resistance
How Hong Kong’s Digital Life Was Turned Into a Trap – The CCP’s Use of Data to Enforce Obedience
How Hong Kong’s Cultural Life Was Sanitized Into Obedience – The CCP’s Erasure of Art, Humor, and Dissent
Why Hong Kong Proved Communism Cannot Coexist With Freedom – The Ideological Collision That Made Repression Inevitable
How Hong Kong’s Language of ‘Normal Life’ Masked Democratic Collapse – The CCP’s Use of Everyday Continuity
When the Rules Changed Quietly – The Administrative Coup That Remade Hong Kong
A City Rewritten – How Communism Used History, Language, and Law to Remake Hong Kong
How Legal Ambiguity Became the CCP’s Sharpest Weapon – The Power of Uncertainty in Hong Kong
Why Hong Kong’s Collapse Refutes the Myth of ‘Non-Political Governance – The CCP’s Claim That Control Is Just Administration
Consensus Hong Kong Conference Recaps Machine Economy and Market Volatility – Three-day summit highlights AI agents as crypto payment infrastructure
AECOM and CityUHK Partner on Climate Resilience Research in Hong Kong – Strategic collaboration aims to accelerate sustainability and environmental innovation
