China has called the court’s ruling against Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Group over the Panama Canal port “ridiculous” and “shameful”.

Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison announced the launch of international arbitration proceedings against Panama after the country’s Supreme Court revoked its contract to operate two ports in Panama. strategic panama canal among pressure from the United States.

Wednesday’s announcement came as the Chinese government’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) said Panama’s ruling against CK Hutchison subsidiary Panamanian Ports was “ridiculous,” “shameful and deplorable.”

The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said on Tuesday that the Panamanian court “ignored the facts, broke trust and seriously damaged the legitimate rights and interests of Hong Kong companies.”

“China has sufficient means and tools, sufficient strength and capabilities to defend a fair and just international economic and trade order,” the office said.

The office warned that if Panama insisted on enforcing the ruling, it would “certainly be costly politically and economically.”

Following the United States, Panama’s Supreme Court decided last week to revoke the Hong Kong company’s contract to operate two ports on the canal. president donald trump Threatens to seize control of the vital passage connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, claiming the waterway is effectively under Chinese control and therefore poses a security threat to Washington.

The Chinese statement did not mention the United States by name, but further said that “some countries… use bullying tactics to force other countries to obey their will” and that Panama “willingly succumbed” to hegemony.

John Mueller, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Special Committee on China, called the Panamanian court’s ruling a “victory for the United States.”

The Panamanian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Chinese warning.

CK Hutchison said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Wednesday that its board “strongly disagrees with Panama’s decision and corresponding actions.”

“The group will continue to consult its legal advisors and reserves all rights, including to pursue other national and international legal proceedings in relation to this matter,” the company said.

Following the court’s ruling last week, the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) announced that Danish company Maersk would temporarily take over operations of two ports previously operated by subsidiaries of the Hong Kong company.

The canal handles approximately 40% of U.S. container traffic and 5% of world trade. The canal was built at the expense of the United States, which operated it for a century before handing control to Panama in 1999.