BREAKING NEWS: THE PANAMA AUTHORITIES stormed the Hong Kong-run port terminals in its country and ordered staff to leave immediately, workers revealed yesterday.
The strong-armed takeover of the pair of terminals follows threats from US President Donald Trump that his country’s armed forces would invade Panama unless the area was rid of “Chinese soldiers”.
The forceful seizure of the terminals was clearly unlawful, said CK Hutchison, the company that has successfully managed the projects for almost three decades—and it was dangerous.
The storming of the terminals took place on Monday, but staff were ordered not to communicate with their employer, known as PPC (Hutchison Ports Panama Ports Co).
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‘TELL NO ONE’
The Trump administration has painted the company as part of the Chinese government in Beijing, but this is false. Hutchison is actually an international conglomerate with its roots in British Hong Kong. There are no “Chinese soldiers” present – only dockyard staff, many locally employed from Panama itself.
PPC staff were told on Monday “to vacate” with threats of “criminal prosecution if they refused,” CK Hutchison said in a statement. They could tell no one, including their employers.
The authorities’ actions aren’t just illegal, but “pose serious risks to operations, health and safety at the sites”, the company added.
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TALE OF BETRAYAL
The story is a dark tale of betrayal. The Panama authorities were so happy with the Hong Kongers’ contribution since 1997 that they renewed the concession for another 25 years in 2021.
But then came Trump’s threat, after which everything changed—with the Panama authorities attempting various legal somersaults to void the contract they themselves had renewed.
A US administration source had congratulated Panama for the action and said that it was “in line with President Donald Trump’s drive to curb Chinese influence” over the waterway, the South China Morning Post reported yesterday.
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COLLECTING CHOKEPOINTS
The US is on a mission to take full control of four key global “chokepoints” for international shipping – Panama, Suez, and two arctic routes: one that goes past Greenland, and the other that goes through Canada.
For this reason, Trump believes Panama, the Middle East, Greenland, and Canada must eventually all come under US control.