Ta Kung Pao: Mainland Anti-Monopoly Law Could Be Combined with National Security Law to Review CK Hutchison’s Port Sale
大公報：國內《反壟斷法》結合《國安法》，可審查長和賣港口交易
US President Donald Trump has threatened to call April 2 the nation’s “Liberation Day” and raise tariffs on Chinese goods. As the tariff war gets under way, Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s plan to sell several ports to a US consortium, including two ports on the Panama Canal, has caused an uproar in recent days. On Friday, a person close to CK Hutchison said, “Everyone understands,” and indicated that the contract would not be formally signed on April 2, meaning the transaction had been “put on hold.” Ta Kung Pao, whose articles have been repeatedly reprinted by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office and the Liaison Office, continued to pressure Li Ka-shing today, supporting the State Administration for Market Regulation’s “review in accordance with the law.” It also quoted “authoritative experts” as saying that although the transaction involves overseas ports, because it “affects” Chinese shipping companies, the Anti-Monopoly Law could be invoked and even combined with the mainland’s National Security Law and Data Security Law to guard against potential geopolitical threats to shipping. At the same time as word was put out on Friday that the transaction had been “put on hold,” Reuters cited sources as reporting that CK Hutchison was considering spinning off its global telecommunications assets for a London listing, potentially as early as this year. The business was valued at between £10 billion and £15 billion, equivalent to approximately HK$101.4 billion to HK$151.3 billion.
美國總統特朗普揚言4月2日是國家「解放日」，將提高對中國商品加稅關稅。在關稅戰開打之際，香港首富李嘉誠計劃出售多個港口予美國財團的舉措，包括巴拿馬運河兩個港口，連日來軒然大波。上周五長和一方人士放風指「大家明啦」，稱4月2日將不會正式簽署合約，意味交易「暫緩」。獲港澳辦和中聯辦「眷顧」多次轉載文章的《大公報》今日續向李嘉誠施壓，支持國家市場監督管理總局「依法審查」，又引述「權威專家」指今次交易雖涉及境外港口，但因為「影響」中國船公司，不僅可以引用《反壟斷法》，甚至可以結合內地的《國家安全法》及《數據安全法》，防範地緣政治對航運的潛在威脅。 在上周五放風宣布交易「暫緩」的同時，《路透》引述消息報道，長和正考慮將全球電訊業務資產，分拆在倫敦上市，最快在今年內進行，業務估值在100億英鎊至150億（約1,014億港元至1,513億元）。