CK Hutchison Holdings, a Hong Kong-based company, has agreed to sell its Panama Canal port operations to a U.S. consortium led by asset manager BlackRock. This move comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly expressed his desire to reclaim key trade routes.

The Panama Canal, a critical gateway in Latin America, handles approximately 6% of global trade. While the U.S. previously controlled the canal, control was transferred to the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in 2000. Trump's stated interest in regaining control of the Panama Canal is seen as driven by both a desire to reduce trade costs and concerns over growing Chinese influence in the region. Panama established official diplomatic relations with China in 2017 and has been strengthening economic ties. The Financial Times reports that the BlackRock consortium likely would not have bid if they believed the Trump administration would oppose the deal.