Richard Li, a son of Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, is invited to a high-profile forum in Beijing, in the midst of the escalating pressure concerning the sale of CK Hutchison’s Panama port operations.

Beijing’s threat to stop a tycoon’s sale of his ports business has dealmakers wondering if they can still operate without political interference.

If China wanted to disable the Panama Canal to stop the flow of U.S. ships, it likely could do so via a cyberattack, Chuck Holton says.