Alan W. Dowd is a Senior Fellow with the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes on the full range of topics relating to national defense, foreign policy and international security. Dowd’s commentaries and essays have appeared in Policy Review, Parameters, Military Officer, The American Legion Magazine, The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations, The Claremont Review of Books, World Politics Review, The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Jerusalem Post, The Financial Times Deutschland, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Examiner, The Detroit News, The Sacramento Bee, The Vancouver Sun, The National Post, The Landing Zone, Current, The World & I, The American Enterprise, Fraser Forum, American Outlook, The American and the online editions of Weekly Standard, National Review and American Interest. Beyond his work in opinion journalism, Dowd has served as an adjunct professor and university lecturer; congressional aide; and administrator, researcher and writer at leading think tanks, including the Hudson Institute, Sagamore Institute and Fraser Institute. An award-winning writer, Dowd has been interviewed by Fox News Channel, Cox News Service, The Washington Times, The National Post, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and numerous radio programs across North America. In addition, his work has been quoted by and/or reprinted in The Guardian, CBS News, BBC News and the Council on Foreign Relations. Dowd holds degrees from Butler University and Indiana University. Follow him at twitter.com/alanwdowd.

ASCF News

Scott Tilley is a Senior Fellow at the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes the “Technical Power” column, focusing on the societal and national security implications of advanced technology in cybersecurity, space, and foreign relations.

He is an emeritus professor at the Florida Institute of Technology. Previously, he was with the University of California, Riverside, Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, and IBM. His research and teaching were in the areas of computer science, software & systems engineering, educational technology, the design of communication, and business information systems.

He is president and founder of the Center for Technology & Society, president and co-founder of Big Data Florida, past president of INCOSE Space Coast, and a Space Coast Writers’ Guild Fellow.

He has authored over 150 academic papers and has published 28 books (technical and non-technical), most recently Systems Analysis & Design (Cengage, 2020), SPACE (Anthology Alliance, 2019), and Technical Justice (CTS Press, 2019). He wrote the “Technology Today” column for FLORIDA TODAY from 2010 to 2018.

He is a popular public speaker, having delivered numerous keynote presentations and “Tech Talks” for a general audience. Recent examples include the role of big data in the space program, a four-part series on machine learning, and a four-part series on fake news.

He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Victoria (1995).

Contact him at stilley@cts.today.

China Black Balls BlackRock in Panama

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Written by Laurence F Sanford, Senior Analyst ASCF

Categories: ASCF Articles

Comments: 0

In early March, President Trump hailed an American BlackRock-led consortium's purchase of two ports in Panama controlled by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison’s (CKH). The total deal, valued at $22.8 billion, included CKH Group's operations in 43 ports across 23 countries, including two in Panama. President Trump had previously vowed to assert American dominance over the Panama Canal and claimed that China controlled the canal.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) stalled the deal by initiating an investigation into potential violations of Chinese anti-monopoly laws. CCP President Xi is angry that CKH’s president, 96-year-old billionaire Li Ka-shing, did not consult with Beijing before making the deal. A Chinese newspaper, Ta Kung Pao, condemned the sale as a betrayal of all Chinese people and in perfect cooperation with US strategy to contain China and cause endless harm. The sale could be a violation of national security laws.

BlackRock, founded by Larry Fink in 1988, is the world's largest asset management firm with over $11 trillion under management. CKH is a Hong Kong-based conglomerate established by Li Ka-shing, who fled communist China as a young man. He started with a small plastic flower company that is now CHK, with sales exceeding $60 billion in real estate, port operations, retail, and telecommunications across more than 50 countries.

Panama is investigating the CKH contract for the operation of two Canal ports: Balboa at the Pacific Ocean entrance and Cristobal at the Atlantic Ocean side for violations and tax evasion. Panama’s Controller, Anel Flores, said Panama left $1.3 billion on the table in contract negotiations. The contract was renewed in 2021 for a 25-year term.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panamanian President Jose Mulino in January 2025 and discussed US concerns over Chinese control over the Canal. Mulino rejected the claim of Chinese control. Shortly thereafter, Panama withdrew from the Belt and Road Initiative, earning condemnation from the CCP.

Summary

The Trump tariff war with China has yet to play out, but certainly, the CKH-BlackRock port deal and the Panamanian government investigation of the port contract will be significant factors.

Action

1. The US should rescind the May 2013 Obama/Biden Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which granted CCP companies unique and privileged access to US capital markets. Thus far, over $2 trillion has been raised from American investors to develop China’s industrial/military complex.

2. Support Panama in investigating CKH malfeasance on the port contracts.

3. Demand that the CCP allow CKH to complete the deal with BlackRock.

Reciprocity should be the foundation of US foreign policy.

Peace Through Strength!

Comments

There are no comments yet. Be the first to add a comment by using the form below.