Hong Kong’s leader has said concerns arising from the sale of Panama Canal ports by tycoon Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison Holdings deserve “serious attention”, while stressing that all transactions have to abide by the city’s laws.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday also spoke out against foreign governments’ “abusive use of coercion” in trade relations.
Hutchison surprised markets earlier this month by announcing it was selling its ports operations, except for those in China, to a group led by US investment firm BlackRock in a deal worth US$23 billion, with the Hong Kong company set to receive US$19 billion in cash.
Two Beijing offices overseeing Hong Kong’s affairs have since posted scathing commentaries twice on their websites criticising the deal, moves seen as an indirect way for the central government to pressure the company into reconsidering the sale.
Breaking his silence on Tuesday, Lee noted what he described as “extensive discussions” in society over the transaction.