<div id="readability-page-1">PANAMA CITY, Jan 30 (Reuters) - A contract held by a Hong Kong company to operate ports at the Panama Canal violated the Panama constitution and did not serve ‌the public interest, the country's Supreme Court said in a Thursday decision that voided a deal made in the ​1990s. The court issued its decision on Thursday, but it did not formally release ‍its ruling or explain its rationale. Local television station TVN ⁠first reported on the ⁠decision, which has been reviewed by Reuters and confirmed by a court official. The ruling gave Washington a ‌victory amid the intensifying U.S.-China rivalry over global ​trade routes and President Donald Trump's efforts to exert dominance in Latin America. The court said in its decision that the contract ⁠held by Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary ‍of Hong ​Kong's CK Hutchison ( CKHUF ) , violated Panama's constitution by giving the company exclusive privileges and tax exemptions. The contract also lacked a requirement for environmental impact assessments ‍and said the government had to seek Panama Ports' approval before granting other concessions, the court said. &#34;Disproportionate rights and prerogatives are granted to PPC, creating conditions that effectively eliminate competition and result in a monopoly in practice, even though no monopoly is formally declared,&#34; the nine-member court said in a unanimous decision. &#34;Furthermore, it places in private ​hands ‍decisions that should be in the public interest ... prioritizing private interests over the general welfare of society.&#34; The decision could complicate CK Hutchison's ( CKHUF ) proposed $23 billion sale ​of dozens of ports worldwide - including the Panamanian terminals - to a consortium led by BlackRock ( BLK ) and Mediterranean Shipping Company. Trump had championed the proposed sale - particularly of Panama Ports' assets - as a victory because it put operations at the canal under a majority U.S. ownership. But China opposed the sale and threatened to block the deal. After the ruling, China's foreign ministry said ​it would take &#34;all necessary measures&#34; to defend the rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, and Hong Kong's government criticized what it described as coercive interference by foreign governments in international trade relations. (Reporting by Elida Moreno; Additional ‍reporting by Natalia Siniawski and Kylie Madry; Editing by Emily Green and Tom Hogue)</div>

長和(ADR)

巴拿馬最高法院裁定，與香港長和（CK Hutchison）簽訂的在巴拿馬運河運營港口的合同違反了憲法和公共利益。法院發現該合同授予了過度的特權和税收豁免，削弱了競爭並優先考慮私人利益。這一裁決使長和 230 億美元的全球港口出售計劃變得複雜，該計劃包括將巴拿馬的港口出售給由黑石集團（BlackRock）領導的財團。此決定引發了中國的批評，中國誓言保護其企業的權益

法院裁定，香港港口運營商的合同違反了巴拿馬憲法