China orders MSC and Maersk to halt their port activities in Panama

According to the Financial Times on Wednesday, China has ordered the Danish shipping conglomerate Maersk and the Swiss business Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC Shipping) to stop operating in Panama Canal ports.

According to the story, which quoted two persons acquainted with the talks, Maersk and MSC Shipping. Were told to leave the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal immediately during a meeting with China’s state planning agency last month.

The report could not be immediately verified by Reuters. Requests for response from Maersk, MSC Shipping, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the state planning agency were not immediately answered.

The report said that Maersk and MSC were advised to «respect business ethics and international standards. Not engage in illegal activities that would harm the interests of Chinese companies.»

APM ports, a division of Maersk, is in charge of Balboa, while TIL Panama, a division of MSC, is in charge of Cristóbal. Panama awarded interim 18-month concessions to maintain the ports’ operations.

Since announcing in March 2025 that it would sell 43 ports in 23 countries, including the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal. To a partnership headed by BlackRock and the family-owned shipping giant MSC, owned by Italian tycoon Gianluigi Aponte, CK Hutchison has been under heavy fire from China.

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