The Chinese side will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, said Guo Jiakun, spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry.
A court in Panama ruled late Thursday that CK Hutchison's operation of two ports near the canal violates the country's constitution.
The Panama Canal is geopolitics at the highest level. President Donald Trump has claimed that the vital trade route is controlled by China, and vowed that the United States will "take it back."
