A legal battle over control of two ports at the Panama Canal and the unchallenged passage of a US-sanctioned Chinese-linked tanker through the Strait of Hormuz have thrown shipping deeper into the centre of geopolitical confrontation, emphasising how strategic trade routes are increasingly becoming arenas of state rivalry rather than purely commercial activity.
In Panama, Panama Ports Company (PPC), a unit of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison, has launched arbitration proceedings
