CK Hutchison, a Hong Kong company that owns and operates two key Panama ports, as well as many other ports across the globe, has reached an agreement in principle with private equity firm BlackRock to sell a significant portion of its port business.

The Panamanian Attorney General has weighed in on the constitutionality of his government's port contract with Hong Kong-based Hutchison Port Holdings, telling the Supreme Court it is "unconstitutional," and asking the Court "to confirm the unconstitutionality of the contract as a step toward terminating the

The China-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement (FTA) entered into force on May 1 after both sides finished their domestic legal procedures. The agreement would lower tariffs for Chinese steel and autos over time.

A Peruvian trade official stated that Peru and China will resume trade talks to upgrade their bilateral trade agreement soon, while Uruguay plans to expand exports to China with potential trade talks.

After months of negotiations, China and Ecuador signed a bilateral trade agreement last week. This makes Ecuador the fourth country in the Latin American region to have a trade agreement with China.

China's tariff commission announced today that starting on May 1, 60 types of goods from Nicaragua will be tariff free. This is part of an early agreement reached between the two governments, as a precursor of a more comprehensive trade agreement for which the negotiations are ongoing.

A new report by a pair of scholars looks at Chinese lending in Latin America and the Caribbean, concluding that while loan amounts remain low by historical standards, the increase in lending this year "is indicative of continued Chinese interest in establishing strong diplomatic ties across the region."