Li Ka-shing's company would have come under increased US scrutiny and risked fight in American court if it held on to overseas docks, sources say CK Hutchison Holdings' decision to sell its port operations in the Panama Canal and elsewhere is to mitigate against geopolitical risks even though it framed it as a purely commercial move,

The deal comes after U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to take control of the Panama Canal and end what he sees as China’s influence over the waterway critical to global trade.

Investment giant BlackRock has teamed up with Diego Aponte-led MSC Group to buy Panama Ports Co, which had come under pressure from Trump Administration officials, as part of a sweeping $22.8bn deal with CK Hutchison Holdings.