The Chinese Communist Party is putting pressure on Panama to prevent the sales of port facilities at either end of the Panama Canal, Bill Gertz, national security correspondent for The Washington Times, tells Newsmax.
"BlackRock was supposed to be buying much of CK Hutchison, which owns these port facilities at either end of the canal," Gertz told Newsmax's "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" on Monday. "[It] was supposed to be buying most of 43 ports from Hutchison."
But the pressure from China to prevent the sale "highlights how there are no independent companies in China," Gertz added. "They're all under the heel of the CCP."
Earlier Monday, Panama's comptroller authority said that an audit found irregularities in the renewal of a 25-year port concession for the Panama Canal and said it's requesting an investigation into the authorization of the contract to Panama Ports Company, a conglomerate based in Hong Kong.
Panama Ports Company operates ports at both ends of the Panama Canal, and CK Hutchison said it has agreed to sell its controlling stake in Panama Ports Company to a consortium that includes BlackRock.
Gertz noted on Newsmax that the Panama Canal is the "most strategic waterway" for the United States, particularly with tensions rising with China over Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait.
"The canal is a central portion of the Trump administration's focus on this hemisphere," said Gertz. "They've talked about Greenland. They've talked about the border and, of course, the Panama Canal."
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