A Hong Kong, China-based company has agreed to sell its controlling stake in the subsidiary that operates ports near the Panama Canal. The buyer will be a consortium that include BlackRock, Inc. which is an American-owned company. President Donald Trump made statements to the effect that Chinese interference with those critical shipping lanes could be occurring. The deal is valued at $23 billion.
BlackRock will have control over 43 ports in multiple countries once the deal is concluded. It first has to be approved by the Panamanian government.