Hong Kong company seeks arbitration over Panama port seizure

CK Hutchison, a Hong Kong company, has started international legal action against Panama and is asking for more than $1.5 billion in damages. The dispute is about two ports, Balboa and Cristóbal, which sit at each end of the Panama Canal. A CK Hutchison subsidiary ran these ports for many years under a contract with the Panamanian government. Panama's Supreme Court ruled that contract was unconstitutional, and the government then took control of both ports. CK Hutchison says Panama broke an investment protection treaty through actions taken between 2025 and 2026. The company tried to find a solution before going to arbitration, but those efforts failed. The case could influence how similar disputes over state seizures of foreign-owned infrastructure are handled in future.