It is said that many companies supported by the state of China-including the largest shipping company in the country-are talking to join a $ 19 billion suspended deal for 43 international outlets, including the Panama Channel.
The Chinese company Cosco Shiping Corp conducted discussions on partnership with a global consortium headed by Italian billionaire Gianluigi Aponti Limited Investment Ltd., as well as the director of American assets Black Rock and the unit of global infrastructure partners, according to sources familiar with Bloomberg.
The move comes after Beijing's fierce opposition was subjected to a deal that would surrender control of the ports owned by Hong Kong Li Ka Chiging to Tel and Black Rock, the world's largest asset manager led by Larry Fink.
President Trump has described the sale of ports as a victory for national security after the United States demanded that the Panama channel “restore” and eliminate Chinese influence on the decisive shipping lane.
Cosco and other state -backed companies in China appeared as a way to push the deal forward after extensive commercial talks between US officials and their Beijing counterparts about the customs tariff in Switzerland last month.
The consortium is staring at the deadline in late July after the end of the 145 -day period to hold talks on the port deal, and has already been absent from a first goal in signing an agreement by early April.
The APNTE, run by the Mediterranean Family, which owns TIL-as a major investor, has appeared, although Blackrock is expected to take control of Panama's perpetrators included in the sale.
MSC from APTE MSC is expected to be crowned as the largest party operator in the world after getting the ports from CK Hutchison Holdings.
China has firmly opposed the deal on fears that could hinder global trade and shipping.
Continuous talks and the conditions of the deal have not been completed.
Blackrock rejected the comment. COSCO SHIPPING and TIL immediately did not respond to the suspension requests.
The White House and CK HUTCINSON did not immediately respond to the post for comment.
The channel, which was completed by American engineers, was delivered to Panama between 1977 and 1999 under a treaty during the reign of Jimmy Carter, which creates permanent neutrality.
The head of the Panama channel operator warned that the deal could threaten its impartial commitment.
“There is a potential risk to focus the capacity if the deal comes in the way that is organized as we understand now,” Ricorte Vasquiz Morales, Director of Panama Channel, told the Financial Times in an interview published this week.
“If there is a large level of focus on the operators of the stations who belong to an integrated or one shipping company, then this will be at the expense of Panama's competitiveness in the market and does not contradict neutrality.”
