Panama brings lawfare to the canal ports saga

“T he ports are ours,” declared Anel Flores, Panama’s comptroller-general, on July 30th. His office, which manages public funds, had just filed two cases with Panama’s Supreme Court, asking it to revoke the contract held by CK Hutchison ( CKH ), a conglomerate based in Hong Kong, for the operation of two ports at either end of the Panama Canal (see map). In doing so Mr Flores has opened a new front in the tug-of-war between China and the United States over the canal that has been going on since Donald Trump took office.