CK Hutchison port deal may be hit with wave of antitrust probes

Authorities in all 23 countries where ports operate expected to conduct competition reviews if they find them legally necessary, source says

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The sale of Hutchison’s two ports at each end of the Panama Canal is part of a US$23 billion deal to sell 43 ports spread over 23 countries to the BlackRock-led consortium. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:09pm, 29 Mar 2025Updated: 2:18pm, 2 Apr 2025

CK Hutchison Holdings’ sale of its sprawling overseas port business could trigger a wave of competition reviews in the more than 20 countries where the docks are located should their governments deem them necessary, the Post has learned.

The stringent checks on the US$23 billion sale of the 43 ports, including two at each end of the Panama Canal, to a consortium led by US investment firm BlackRock, were expected as China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said on Friday it would examine the deal.

Authorities in all 23 countries where the ports operate are expected to conduct anti-monopoly probes of their own if they find them legally necessary, according to a source.

An insider earlier told the Post that CK Hutchison Holdings would not go ahead with the expected signing of the deal next Wednesday, which was understood not to be a firm deadline. The parties have 145 days to exclusively and confidentially negotiate the final terms.

Hutchison operates 53 ports in 24 countries, including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and South Korea. The deal did not include the 10 ports in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Announcement of the probe by the Chinese market regulator came after Hong Kong-based, pro-Beijing media Wen Wei Po and Ta Kung Pao questioned whether the deal required an antitrust review.