China expands logistics footprint in Americas
Beijing is deepening infrastructure investments in Central America to scale port and logistics capacity, a strategic push that creates new routing options but also introduces regulatory and geopolitical risk into regional supply chains. Those developments can open alternate sourcing lanes — and new compliance considerations. (divergentes.com)
The Center for Strategic and International Studies cataloged 37 port projects in Latin America and the Caribbean tied to Chinese firms and published a risk-assessment database on June 25, 2025. (features.csis.org) The Carnegie Endowment’s analysis notes PRC companies hold full or partial terminal leases or operating concessions in seven Western Hemisphere countries: the Bahamas, Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru and the United States. (carnegieendowment.org) China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) signed for the first phase of Puerto Cortés expansion in Honduras that includes a 350‑meter berth designed to 15.5 meters of controlling depth. (marinetechnologynews.com) Panama’s Supreme Court annulled the long‑standing concessions held by CK Hutchison’s Panama Ports Company and the government formally took control of the Balboa and Cristóbal terminals on February 23, 2026, temporarily assigning operations to Maersk and MSC for up to 18 months. (worldports.org) China’s state‑owned COSCO Shipping informed customers it would suspend calls at Balboa effective March 10, 2026 and cancel confirmed bookings in a client notice dated March 10, 2026. (maritime-executive.com) Carriers tied to COSCO and OOCL have rerouted cargo away from Balboa to Atlantic‑side terminals operated by SSA Marine and Evergreen, shifting transits and gate‑moves on short notice. (mykn.kuehne-nagel.com) China Merchants Port Holdings acquired full control of Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited under a 30‑year concession, positioning Kingston as an established Caribbean hub able to absorb diverted Asia‑Caribbean container flows. (jamaicans.com) CSIS’s June 2025 methodology specifically flags that expanding PRC port projects create alternate routing options while introducing regulatory, arbitration and geopolitical risk that U.S. and regional authorities are increasingly monitoring. (csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com)
