Hong Kong's CK Hutchison assures legal compliance in ports deal
"This transaction would never be carried out under any illegal or non-compliant circumstances," the company said in a statement. The Hong Kong-based conglomerate, controlled by tycoon Li Ka-shing, agreed in March to sell the majority of its $22.8 billion global ports business, including assets along the strategically significant Panama Canal, to a consortium led by BlackRock. The deal has since drawn global criticism, including from U.S. President Donald Trump, who repeatedly expressed his desire to reclaim the Panama Canal and termed the deal a "reclaiming" of the waterway.