In an address to the nation on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump vowed that his administration would reclaim the Panama Canal, promising to fulfil a promise to retake the critical juncture that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
“We’ve already started doing it,” he said, nodding to a “large American company” that had agreed to take over two major ports at either end of the passageway “just today”.
Trump was well aware of the deal — BlackRock’s $22.8bn takeover of 43 ports owned by billionaire Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison, including two at either end of the Panama Canal — before it was announced on Tuesday. Both he and top members of his administration, including Marco Rubio, had been briefed by Larry Fink, BlackRock’s own billionaire chief executive.