Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News (1) to (5) / Editor : Fang Xun / Source: RFA / https://www.aboluowang.com/2025/0318/2191296.html /
Image : A cargo ship passes through the Panama Canal on 13 August 2024. (Enea Lebrun/Reuters)
News (1)
Li Ka-shing was criticized for selling Panama Ports, CCP sends delegation to Panama
Cheung Kong Hutchison, controlled by Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-shing, recently announced that it would sell its Panama Canal port and other businesses to an American consortium, which aroused strong dissatisfaction from Beijing that issued a series of articles criticizing it. At the same time, Beijing sent the deputy minister of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to lead a delegation to visit Panama. But are these measures useful? How much influence does Beijing still have on Panama?
According to China's official media Xinhua News Agency on Sunday (16 March 2025), Ma Hui, deputy minister of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, led a delegation of the Communist Party of China to visit Panama from 14 to 15 March 2025, met with leaders of major political parties in Panama, and held talks with think tank scholars.
According to the report, Ma Hui said that China is willing to strengthen exchanges with Panamanian political parties and think tanks, enhance mutual "understanding and trust", and consolidate the public opinion basis for China-Panama friendly relations. The Panamanian side said that it is "willing to deepen friendly exchanges between the two sides and build consensus on cooperation" to promote the sustainable development of Panama-China friendship.
News (2)
Ta Kung Pao published three articles in a row to criticize Li Ka-shing
Currently, Cheung Kong Hutchison, controlled by Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-shing, plans to sell its Panama Canal port and other businesses to a consortium led by Blackrock of the United States, which has aroused strong dissatisfaction from Beijing. The Hong Kong Ta Kung Pao, which is officially controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, published three comments on 13, 15 and 17 March 2025, criticizing Li Ka-shing and issuing a warning to Hong Kong people.
Among them, the article on the 17th was titled "Drinking Water and Remembering the Source, Having Responsibility and Relying on the Motherland for Development", emphasizing that Hong Kong must "maintain a high degree of consistency with national interests", "connect with national strategies", "in the face of major issues... must stand firmly with the country and have the courage to shoulder historical responsibilities", etc.
On the 13th and 15th, Ta Kung Pao also published two articles that severely criticized Cheung Kong Holdings for selling its Panama Ports and other businesses to an investment group led by BlackRock, accusing the deal of being a hegemonic act of the United States using state power to directly intervene and manipulate, and citing netizens criticizing Cheung Kong Holdings for betraying and "selling out all Chinese people" and "will eventually bear the historical infamy". Both articles were forwarded on the official website of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, the ministry in charge of Hong Kong and Macau affairs in China, attracting attention.
Hutchison Whampoa's stock price fell 6.4% at the close of trading last Friday (14th). According to Reuters, this shows that Cheung Kong Hutchison will face complex geopolitical pressures as Trump puts pressure on China and investors worry that the deal may not be supported by Beijing.
Liu Mengxiong, a former member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, told Radio Free Asia that under Trump's accusations about the Panama Canal and the current severe trade war situation, Cheung Kong Hutchison, as a listed company, only made a business decision responsible to shareholders: "When the international geopolitical situation changes, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. As a company, Cheung Kong Hutchison's practice is understandable."
Liu Mengxiong believes that Hong Kong is a society ruled by law. According to the provisions of the Basic Law, Cheung Kong Hutchison's sale of assets is completely legal and should not be subject to political or moral kidnapping. The accusation of the Ta Kung Pao is unreasonable: "This accusation is absurd in theory, untenable in law, confusing in logic, and harmful in terms of impact."
Liu Mengxiong believes that Cheung Kong Hutchison and BlackRock have only reached an agreement in principle. If Beijing really believes that it is a matter of national interest, it should let China's state-owned enterprises and central enterprises directly propose higher prices for acquisitions: "You do not conduct commercial negotiations, but use the criticism methods of the Cultural Revolution to politicize and demonize the business decisions of Cheung Kong Hutchison. This is unreasonable."
News (3)
Expert: Beijing has not been more proactive in engaging with the U.S.
Timothy Ho, senior researcher for international defense at the RAND Corporation, a US think tank Heath told Radio Free Asia in writing: "I am surprised that Beijing has not been more proactive in engaging with Washington to discuss options that can safeguard China's interests. Perhaps they could propose selling the canal to a third party that both China and the United States trust but Beijing must also be careful not to overreact, threaten retaliation or take other drastic measures because this will only confirm Washington's suspicions and strengthen their determination to control the canal. Overall, China seems relatively passive in responding to Trump, perhaps because Beijing has not yet fully decided on the best strategy or method to deal with Trump."
China's independent political scholar Chen Daoyin previously told this station that from the Ta Kung Pao article, it can be seen that Beijing did not know in advance that Li Ka-shing was doing this deal with the United States. At the same time, there was no deal between the Chinese and American governments. China views this deal from the perspective of strategic confrontation between China and the United States. He pointed out that China currently has no evidence, so it does not want to publicly accuse the United States of pressure, so it can only catch wind through third-party media.
News (4)
Trump vows to "take back" the Panama canal as Panama withdraws from the "Belt and Road"
In recent years, China's influence in Latin American countries has increased through the "Belt and Road" investment and various infiltrations. Trump raised the Panama Canal issue immediately after he was elected as the US President, arguing that China controls this important waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, violates the treaty between the United States and Panama, and charges excessive fees to U.S. ships. He vowed to "take back" the Panama Canal.
Panama strongly opposed it verbally, but then launched an investigation into the Panama Ports Corporation office controlled by Hutchison Ports and considered canceling its contract with Cheung Kong.
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio went to Panama on his first visit after taking office, and made it clear that the current situation of the Panama Canal was "unacceptable" and that if no immediate changes were made, the United States would need to take necessary measures to protect its rights under the treaty. After the meeting, Panamanian President Mulino announced that he would withdraw from China's "Belt and Road" plan.
On 4 March 2025, the day Trump gave a speech in Congress, Cheung Kong Hutchison announced that it had reached a principle agreement with a consortium led by BlackRock to sell its 43 ports in 23 countries for US$22.8 billion, including a 90% stake in Panama Ports Corporation. Trump welcomed the deal.
Image : Balboa Harbor photographed in Panama City after Hong Kong's CK Hutchison agreed to sell its stake in a major port operator in the Panama Canal to a consortium backed by BlackRock. (Enea Lebrun/Reuters)
As for whether Beijing can still choose to intervene in CK Hutchison's sale plan or formulate other response measures, Xie Tian, a professor at the Aiken School of Business at the University of South Carolina, told Radio Free Asia: "First, it is politically inappropriate and uneconomical, and second, it does not have many legal reasons to stop it. Because it is a Hong Kong company, it does not involve approving these things. The most important thing is that it (originally) used Hong Kong capital to acquire, and now it is suffering from it."
Liu Mengxiong believes that Latin America is the backyard of the United States and has great influence. It is difficult for China to reverse the results such as Rubio's visit leading to Panama's withdrawal from the "Belt and Road Initiative".
News (5)
The White House has instructed the U.S. military to formulate a plan to station troops in Panama
The Panama Canal is an important hub for global shipping. The canal carries 6% of the world's seaborne trade volume and is a "throat" connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The canal was built and managed by the United States for a long time. In 1964, anti-American riots broke out in the Canal Zone, leading to the renegotiation of the Canal Treaty. In 1977, the United States and Panama signed an agreement to jointly supervise for a period of time and handed control to Panama in 1999. At the end of 1999, Li Ka-shing's company won the management rights of the ports at both ends of the Panama Canal. At that time, U.S. congressmen expressed concerns about this, but then-President Clinton said that this would not pose a threat to U.S. security.
According to U.S. media reports, two U.S. officials said on 13 March 2025 that the White House has instructed the U.S. military to develop a plan to station troops in Panama to achieve President Trump's goal of "taking back" the Panama Canal. According to a memorandum from the U.S.Department of Defense, the Trump administration has formally asked Department of Defense officials to provide reliable military options to ensure that the United States can have unrestricted access to the Panama Canal, thereby ensuring fairness in U.S. military and business.
"Now what the Chinese Communist Party does is useless, it's too late." Xie Tian said.
News (6)
Beijing has launched an investigation into Li Ka-shing
Reporter : Wang Duruo / Editor : Zhongkang / https://www.aboluowang.com/2025/0318/2191332.html
According to people familiar with the matter, the Chinese Communist government has recently begun investigating the sale of overseas port businesses by Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-shing's Cheung Kong Hutchison Holdings, a sign that Beijing is unhappy with the company's divestment of its Panama business under pressure from the United States.
According to Bloomberg, people familiar with the matter said that the State Administration for Market Regulation and other agencies have received instructions from the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party to investigate whether the transaction has security loopholes or violates antitrust regulations.
Cheung Kong Hutchison recently announced that it would sell 43 ports to a consortium led by BlackRock for $19 billion. U.S. President Trump called the deal "a symbol of the United States taking back the Panama Canal."
Because the ports are located outside China and Hong Kong, it is unclear how the Chinese Communist Party will intervene in the deal. People familiar with the matter said that Beijing's review does not mean that action will be taken but transactions of this size usually attract the attention of regulators in the Chinese Communist Party and other countries.
Investors generally welcomed the unexpected port sale, believing that it was a favorable way for Li Ka-shing to exit related businesses in the face of increasing political scrutiny and trade barriers.
However, the Chinese Communist Party's dissatisfaction may affect the deal. Last week, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office forwarded a critical article from the Ta Kung Pao that criticized Li Ka-shing's business group for "bowling" under pressure from the United States. Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying also implicitly criticized "some Hong Kong businessmen" on social media for putting commercial interests above national interests.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said in an interview before the Executive Council on 18 March 2025 that the widespread discussion of the matter reflects the society's concern about it and deserves serious consideration.
Despite pressure from Beijing, CK Hutchison's 12% of revenue comes from China and Hong Kong, with most of the rest coming from Europe, North America and Australia.
Image : Li Ka-shing photo (Antony Dickson/AFP via Getty Images)
News (7) to (9) / Editor : Wenbin / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/03/19/a103968446.html
News (7)
Li Ka-shing sold the port without asking Beijing for permission, Xi is angry but can do nothing
Image : Li Ka-shing's company recently announced that it will sell 43 port businesses, including ports at both ends of the Panama Canal, to American companies, which has made the CCP extremely angry. The picture shows Li Ka-shing's profile photo. (Lopez/AFP/Getty Images)
Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-shing's company recently announced that it will sell 43 port businesses, including ports at both ends of the Panama Canal, to American companies, which has made the CCP extremely angry. The latest news indicates that the CCP leader Xi Jinping is angry about the deal but he is unable to stop it.
CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd, owned by Li Ka-shing, recently announced that it would sell all of its 43 port businesses in 23 countries to an investment team led by Black Rock, including the Port of Balboa and the Port of Cristobal, located at both ends of the Panama Canal.
News (8)
The CCP plan failed after losing its bargaining chip with Trump
When President Trump first took office, he vowed to "take back" control of the Panama Canal, arguing that the canal, which has a very high strategic and economic status, had long been infiltrated by the CCP, threatening the US economy and national security.
Li Ka-shing's deal to sell the port has aroused official dissatisfaction from the CCP. The Wall Street Journal quoted sources on March 19 as saying that the CCP leader Xi Jinping was angry about this, partly because CK Hutchison made the decision without the consent of the Beijing authorities.
The report quoted people familiar with the Beijing authorities' thinking as saying that the CCP government originally intended to use the Panama Canal port issue as a bargaining chip with the Trump administration, but because of Li Ka-shing's above-mentioned transaction, the CCP's original plan failed.
Hong Kong's Ming Pao recently quoted a Chinese official as saying privately that Cheung Kong's deal was not notified to the Chinese authorities in advance, making the Chinese authorities very passive and unable to deploy countermeasures. There are rumors within the Chinese Political Consultative Conference that Beijing officials tried to contact Li Ka-shing, a senior adviser to Cheung Kong, to discuss the incident, but failed.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Xi Jinping's dissatisfaction showed that he did not like to be portrayed as a loser. But people familiar with the matter said that it would not be easy for Beijing to stop the deal.
Bloomberg recently reported that several Chinese government departments have received instructions to investigate whether the transaction poses national security risks and antitrust violations. However, although the Chinese officials are unhappy, there is no easy way to stop Li Ka-shing's deal, because the assets sold this time are all located outside China and Hong Kong, and all parties to the transaction are confident that the transaction will be completed.
The port sold by Li Ka-shing is located at the entrance and exit of the Panama Canal
The Panama Canal, which is about 81 kilometers long and connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, is one of the world's important trade waterways. According to multiple media reports, there are five major ports distributed along the Panama Canal, namely Manzanillo, Balboa, Colon, Rodman, and Cristobal.
Among them, Manzanillo is the port with the largest container transportation volume in Panama, operated by the American multinational company SSA Marine. The other two ports, Colon and Rodman, are operated by companies under Taiwan Evergreen Group and Singapore Port Authority, respectively.
The two ports sold by Li Ka-shing this time are Balboa and Cristobal. Geographically, the former is located at the entrance of the canal on the Pacific side of Panama Bay, and the latter is located at the Atlantic exit of the Panama Canal, which is extremely important.
News (9)
Trump takes back the Panama Canal and hits the CCP's "Belt and Road" hard
The United States completed the construction of the Panama Canal in 1914 after 10 years and at great expense. In 1977, then-U.S. President Carter signed the Panama Canal Treaty and the Permanent Neutrality of the Panama Canal with Panama, gradually transferring control of the Panama Canal to the Panamanian government.
Some analysts pointed out that controlling the Panama Canal is equivalent to controlling the throat of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. If the United States controls these key ports, once a dispute arises, the United States will block the passage of Chinese ships. Next, the United States may use this transaction as a "model" to acquire more key ports around the world, leaving Chinese ships "nowhere to rely on".
On the other hand, Li Ka-shing's transaction is considered to have dealt a heavy blow to Xi Jinping's "Belt and Road" ambitions.
In 2018, Panama joined the CCP's "Belt and Road" initiative just one year after breaking off diplomatic relations with Taiwan, becoming the first country in the Western Hemisphere to join the CCP's "Belt and Road".
Many of the ports sold by Li Ka-shing are located in countries along the "Belt and Road", and the Panama Canal is a core channel for China's maritime trade with Latin America and the Caribbean. Once the United States controls these ports, the CCP's "Belt and Road" layout in this region may be severely impacted.
News (10) to (14) / Host : Qin Peng / Publisher : Qin Peng Observations Production Team / Editor : Li Hong / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/03/19/a103968412.html
News (10)
Did Li Ka-shing anger Xi? The secret behind the abuse in Beijing and Hong Kong
What on earth did Li Ka-shing anger Xi Jinping, and why he should be pursued? Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee also said that transactions "must be in accordance with the law and regulations". At a sensitive moment, Chinese diplomatic officials visited Panama.
Zhongnanhai's global ambitions are being exposed. They are trying to control important ports around the world to promote the hegemony of the Chinese Communist Party at a critical moment. Huawei and other companies have played an important role in this.
Hong Kong businessman and former member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Liu Mengxiong criticized the Chinese Communist Party: undermining the Basic Law and "one country, two systems".
This episode is still an exclusive program for the Clean World. Please subscribe to my Clean World channel in the comment area. I usually do three exclusive programs here every week. Thank you.
News (11)
Game of the coward: Beijing and Hong Kong jointly abuse and intimidate Li Ka-shing
Recently, the CCP's fierce criticism of Hong Kong business tycoon Li Ka-shing and his Cheung Kong Group for selling Panama Port and other assets has set off a storm of public opinion. The official media accused Li Ka-shing of "selling out the country" and "betraying national interests." However, the real motive behind this abuse is far from the superficial patriotic sentiment, but exposes the CCP's ambition in global geopolitics and its anxiety about losing influence.
News (12)
Behind the storm: the CCP's strategic anxiety
Li Ka-shing's $22.8 billion sale involves ports at both ends of the Panama Canal, but retains businesses in mainland China and Hong Kong. There are three reasons why the CCP reacted fiercely:
First, it lies in the strategic position of the Panama Canal.
As the throat of global trade, the Panama Canal carries about 6% of maritime cargo volume each year, accounting for 21% of China's merchant ship cargo volume, and is the core route for China's trade with Latin America and the Caribbean. Li Ka-shing's latest transaction has transferred an important strategic asset in the backyard of the United States in the eyes of the CCP to American capital, and U.S. President Trump is still threatening to use force to "regain control of the canal" and impose a special fee of US$1 million on Chinese-made ships entering the United States. All of these have touched the sensitive nerves of the CCP.
So far, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the CCP and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have continuously reprinted articles from the Hong Kong Ta Kung Pao, slamming Li Ka-shing and his companies, saying that they are: profit-seeking, profit-forgetting, ignoring national interests and national justice, and "betraying and selling out all Chinese people."
Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying also followed the official actions and declared: Perhaps Hong Kong has been governed by foreign countries for too long, and some Hong Kong businessmen mistakenly believe that "businessmen have no motherland" and think that everything is "business".
On 18 March 2025, Bloomberg News quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that some regulatory agencies, including the State Administration for Market Regulation of China, were instructed by senior officials to begin reviewing whether the sale had security concerns or antitrust behavior.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee also said in response to reporters' questions on March 18 that he opposed foreign governments using coercive means in international economic and trade relations, and said that any transaction must be legal and compliant, and the Hong Kong government will handle it in accordance with the law.
Secondly, this also reflects the CCP's inability to confront the United States and only dare to vent its anger on a private enterprise.
On the surface, this is anger at "asset loss", but in fact, the CCP's control over Panama is limited, and Cheung Kong's port business is not directly controlled by it. What practical problems can Beijing and Hong Kong solve by jointly scolding Li Ka-shing and investigating Cheung Kong's transactions?
However, it seems that the CCP has another plan: to disrupt the transaction and let Cheung Kong, as a company, confront the United States. On March 18, Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Global Times, wrote an article in which he supported the Hong Kong government's measures to block the transaction, and said that Cheung Kong Hutchison "might as well stand up and bravely deal with the threats from the United States."
However, there is one question that cannot withstand in-depth questioning: If the CCP really thinks that this is a strategic asset that cannot be lost, why not let state-owned enterprises or China Investment Corporation acquire these ports, and then directly confront the United States?
Netease users also mocked the CCP for its incompetence and shamelessness: "If Li Ka-shing has violated the law, please arrest him and seal up his company in time. If he has not violated the law, do not force him to obey your will. If you have military strength, attack and occupy the Panama Canal. If you have financial resources, use money to pound him until he is willing to sell to you. There is a company that wants to dig mud for a high salary, but your boss asks you to put the overall situation first, take less salary and work overtime without pay. Are you willing? If you get angry outside and go home to curse in the street, what kind of person is that?"
Hong Kong businessman and former CPPCC member Liu Mengxiong also criticized that the attack on Cheung Kong's asset disposal is a fallacy and violates the Basic Law.
News (13)
The Ta Kung Pao article is full of logical confusion
Liu Mengxiong said that the Ta Kung Pao article is full of confusion of facts and logic:
1. The 43 ports and 199 docks in 23 countries overseas under the Cheung Kong Group are 100% private legal property, not assets of China's central enterprises or state-owned enterprises, and are definitely not owned by the people of the country. Now the successful sale at a price exceeding the valuation is in line with the interests of the majority of shareholders, and the market evaluation is positive. How can it be called "losing power and humiliating the country"? How can it be called "betraying and selling out all Chinese people"?
2. These ports were acquired in the past few years. If the sale now is "losing power and humiliating the country" and "betraying and selling out all Chinese people", then the governments of the 23 countries and the previous consortium were the first to "lose power and humiliate the country" and "betray and sell out all X people"? It doesn't make sense at all.
3. In the past 40 years, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the Ta Kung Pao have never praised Cheung Kong Holdings' acquisition for "bringing glory to the country" and "representing all Chinese people". Why are they now sinners? The confusion of logic is simply absurd!
4. Liu Mengxiong questioned, since it is related to "national interests, national justice", etc., why did the relevant parties neither support Cheung Kong Holdings nor propose to take over?
5. Liu Mengxiong believes that the Ta Kung Pao article has raised the transaction to a political level, which just confirms the U.S. accusation that "the Panama Canal is controlled by China", bringing unpredictable chain reactions, affecting other Hong Kong consortiums with major international investments, and everyone is in danger. This is absolutely "handing a knife to the opponent".
Moreover, the CCP's incompetence is also reflected in the fact that it dares not directly criticize the United States and Trump, but at a sensitive moment, from 14 to 15 March 2025, Ma Hui, Deputy Minister of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, led a CCP delegation to visit Panama, met with leaders of major political parties in Panama, and held discussions with think tank scholars.
From a legal perspective, the canal port belongs to a company under Li Ka-shing, and the sale is a transaction between it and BlackRock. What can the Panamanian government do in the face of U.S. pressure? The CCP dares not to confront the United States head-on, and only dares to act in private, which is also a manifestation of cowardice. And whether it is verbal abuse or visits, I am afraid it is powerless to turn the tide.
News (14)
The CCP's global port layout: Dual ambitions of economy and military
However, the high-level officials from Beijing and Hong Kong went out together, which represented the Zhongnanhai's fury, indicating that it was Xi Jinping's own intention to oppose the transaction. Why did he oppose it?
Is it really just because the US's claim back of the Panama Canal made the CCP nervous, so it took out its anger on Li Ka-shing? Or as some people say, high-profile accusations are used to divert domestic economic difficulties, incite nationalism, cover up internal contradictions, and at the same time hit Hong Kong capital and warn other chaebols not to "betray the motherland". Is it that simple?
Of course not. There are deeper reasons why the CCP has done this so loudly. This is also the third real reason that the authorities dare not say: the CCP has long been deploying overseas ports, and has always hoped to help them play an important role in the global hegemony. But now, Xi Jinping is facing the panic of the imminent collapse of this strategy.
1. The CCP's port network all over the world: half of them have military potential
Developing a global port network is the core pillar of the CCP's implementation of the "Belt and Road" and "Maritime Silk Road". According to statistics, Chinese companies (such as COSCO Shipping and China Merchants Group) own or operate about 100 to 130 port projects in more than 50 countries, covering Asia (such as Gwadar), Europe (such as Piraeus), Africa (such as Djibouti) and Latin America (such as Chancay). Most of these ports are located in throat areas such as the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal, and more than half have the potential for military conversion.
This ambition of the Chinese Communist Party has attracted increasing international attention in recent years. Trump only talked about the Panama Canal this time, but in fact, in January this year, the US media reported that the Chinese Communist Party’s layout of global ports has caused concerns in the United States.
The impact of the Chinese Communist Party’s layout on global security cannot be underestimated:
First, in terms of economy, the ports controlled by China handle key nodes of global trade. If a conflict occurs, it may affect the supply chain of other countries by delaying goods or selectively blocking them. For example, during the Taiwan Strait crisis, the Panama Canal was used to interfere with the mobilization of US troops.
Second, in terms of military, the CCP’s establishment of a military base in Djibouti and other cases show that these ports can be quickly transformed into supply points for the Chinese Navy in the future, enhancing its long-range projection capabilities.
Third, in terms of geopolitics, the CCP’s implementation of “debt diplomacy” (such as the 99-year lease of the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka) can force some small countries to get closer to the CCP in international affairs and weaken the multilateral order dominated by the West.
The transactions of Li Ka-shing’s company were amplified and criticized by the Xi authorities because they touched the sensitive points of this layout. The CCP tried to transform economic influence into military and political leverage through port control, so any “derailment” behavior was seen as a challenge to its global ambitions.
There are currently more than 100 overseas ports owned or operated by mainland Chinese companies. If the CCP owned the 43 ports in Li Ka-shing’s hands, it would have greater influence. But unfortunately, the CCP had no vision before, and now it has been awakened by Trump, and it has realized it belatedly and started to worry.
After the outbreak of this incident, some netizens dug out that in 2015, Li Ka-shing wanted to sell 40% of the port assets to mainland Chinese companies, but failed to reach an agreement because of the high asking price. The CCP itself has no vision and no future, who can be blamed?
2. Huawei's software and optical fiber: a secret weapon of technological penetration
Huawei plays a key role in the CCP's global logistics strategy. Its smart port solutions combine 5G, AI and cloud computing and are widely used in ports around the world. For example, in Tianjin Port, Huawei's "car-cloud collaboration" system realizes unmanned truck transportation; in Yangshan Port, the remote control platform realizes equipment operation 100 kilometers away through the optical fiber network; in Piraeus Port in Athens, Greece, Huawei's 5G and digital twin technology improve operational efficiency.
Huawei's optical fiber technology ("all-optical network") is the basis of these systems, providing high-speed data transmission and monitoring capabilities. For example, Huawei's optical fiber network in Djibouti Port not only serves business, but also communicates with Chinese military bases; its optical fiber sensing technology (OptiXsense) is used for port security protection. Although these technologies have improved efficiency, they also bring hidden concerns: data is used for intelligence collection and even paralyzes port operations during wartime.
The U.S. report pointed out that Huawei's port software (such as the Logink platform) may be embedded with backdoors, threatening the logistics security of other countries. Therefore, in December 2023, US President Biden signed the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a clause prohibiting the Pentagon from using any seaport that relies on the Chinese logistics platform (Logink).
3. Zhenhua Heavy Industries' Crane Empire: The Other Side of Hardware Control
In addition to Huawei, Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC), located in Shanghai, China, has further strengthened the CCP's hardware control over global ports. Zhenhua occupies about 70% of the global port crane market and provides equipment for more than 300 ports in more than 90 countries, including the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Baltimore in the United States. Its products are known for their low cost and high efficiency, but security risks cannot be ignored.
A 2024 US Congressional report revealed that Zhenhua cranes have built-in undeclared cellular modems that may be used for remote data transmission or control. If these devices are embedded with backdoors, they may be used in conflicts to paralyze ports (such as cutting off power or stopping loading and unloading) or monitor the movement of military goods.
This global penetration means that even if the port operation rights are not in the hands of Chinese companies, hardware dependence may still allow the CCP to retain potential control, which, together with Huawei's software layout, forms a dual threat of "soft and hard".
And 90% of US military goods are transported by merchant ships, which will allow port operators to gain insight into whether the United States is stepping up its actions in certain places, thus posing a potential security threat.
In short, from Li Ka-shing's transactions to the CCP's global port network, to the technological penetration of Huawei and Zhenhua Heavy Industries, we can see a bigger picture: the CCP is trying to dominate the lifeline of global shipping through economic, technological and geopolitical means.
However, with Trump's re-election, this ambition is being exposed, and as a result, the CCP feels that it is in a state of panic, but does not know how to deal with it, so it is at a loss and can only rely on verbal abuse and purposeless visits to try to save the defeat. However, this further exposes their ambitions...
What else can they do next? Let's wait and see.
News (15)
A broken manhole cover appeared on a street of Wuhan. A thin layer of plastic and several thin wires
Reporter : Li Li / Editor: Lin Qing / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/03/18/a103968327.html / Image :
On 17 March 2025, a broken manhole cover suspected to be made of plastic appeared on a street of Wuhan. (Internet video screenshot)
CCP officials are corrupt, and the same is true in projects related to people's livelihood. There are shoddy projects everywhere. On 17 March 2025, a broken manhole cover suspected to be made of plastic appeared on the streets of Wuhan, triggering public criticism.
The online video shows that a large hole appeared in a manhole cover on the street. The manhole cover is very thin and has been broken in half, exposing the thin wire inside. The netizen who filmed the video said, "On the way to Huangpi, Wuhan, to go fishing, I saw a plastic manhole cover for the first time, which overturned my cognition."
While breaking the broken manhole cover with his hands, the netizen said, "These manufacturers are really brave, one dares to produce, and the other dares to use it."
The video has attracted attention and heated discussions on the Internet.
Some netizens said, "If it rains and water accumulates, people walking on it will fall into the sewer and no one can find them. This has happened before", "It's as thin as paper, and it's not strong enough, which is the most terrifying", "It's said to be a new product with special materials~ In fact, it's all shoddy work... and the cost is still very high!".
Other netizens said that this kind of manhole cover is very common, "I have seen many of this kind of manhole covers in Wuhan, and they are very easy to break", "It's really necessary to manage the projects of the street construction party in Wuhan. Now the street is responsible for the renovation of the old water in the community, and the quality of the project is very poor if the supervision is not in place", "There are also some in front of my house", "It's normal, the sidewalk power grid manhole covers in Hangzhou are also plastic."
According to a mainland media report on March 18, a staff member of the Huangpi District Urban Management Bureau said that the manhole cover was managed by the Huangpi District Chuanhengdian Street. Regarding whether the material of the broken manhole cover was plastic, the staff member said, "I am not very professional in this regard. I need to ask the staff of the department specifically. There will be a reply after the investigation is clear. There is no way to reply now."
A staff member of the Jianghan District Urban Management Bureau said, "It is made of special materials and is specially used on the sidewalk. It may be that a car ran over it, causing it to break. The same type of manhole cover is also different. The one used on the road is iron."
Netizens criticized, "It must have received kickbacks" and "In order to make money, they don't care about other people's lives."
On mainland social media, there are often cases where people fall into the manhole cover and get injured or even die because the manhole cover disappears or is damaged and not replaced in time. Previously, many people reported that the local sewer manhole cover was of poor quality. On 17 November 2024, a villager in Lanzhou, Gansu posted a video on social media saying that the newly replaced manhole cover on the village road was of poor quality and even "broken at the touch."
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