Beijing's veiled attack on Hong Kong's CK Hutchison for selling its Panama Canal ports by posting a blistering newspaper commentary against it is an attempt to pile pressure on the conglomerate to either axe the deal or negotiate better terms that protect the national interest,

China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) reposted a commentary criticising CK Hutchison's port deal with U.S. firm BlackRock as a betrayal of China, sending shares of the Hong Kong-based conglomerate sharply lower on Friday.