Employees work on a Cosco Shipping container ship at the Jinglu shipyard in Yantai, Shandong province, China April 21, 2025. cnsphoto via REUTERS/File Photo

(Reuters) -China's state-owned shipping giant Cosco aims to secure at least 20%-30% stake in a $23 billion ports deal involving strategic assets in the Panama Canal, as Beijing moves to renegotiate the terms of a sale previously praised by U.S. President Donald Trump, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

(Reporting by Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)