Friday after China’s top office on Hong Kong affairs reposted a sharp attack on the conglomerate’s decision to appease President Donald Trump by selling its stake in Panama ports. The commentary that the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office posted on its website originally appeared in the Ta Kung Pao newspaper and warned companies to be very careful about which “side they should stand on.

A strongly worded commentary, which attacked the US for pressuring the deal “through despicable means”, first appeared in Beijing-backed newspaper Ta Kung Pao in Hong Kong and was republished by China’s top office for the territory’s affairs late on Thursday.

The deal comes after U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to take control of the Panama Canal and end what he sees as China’s influence over the waterway critical to global trade.

(Yicai) March 5 -- Shares of CK Hutchison Holdings, owned by Chinese billionaire Li Ka-shing, surged over 20 percent after the conglomerate announced the sale of major port assets -- including two strategically significant ports for the United States in Panama -- to a consortium led by American asset manager BlackRock for USD19 billion in cash.