Far from random, China’s global port network is clustering near the world’s riskiest trade routes
- Written by Dylan Spencer, Assistant Professor of Criminology, Georgia Southern University
The silhouettes of the container cranes in the Port of Balboa in Panama City on Feb. 24, 2026.Martin Bernetti/ AFP via Getty ImagesIn late February 2026, the Panamanian government took control of two ports in the Panama Canal that had been operated by a Hong Kong conglomerate for two decades. The move is the latest in a long-simmering legal battle...







