China has intensified inspections on Panamanian ships and detained at least 70 vessels from the country as of March 8, according to a U.S. Federal Maritime Commission estimate, Reuters reported on March 26. The commission said the number of detentions "far exceeds historical norms."

Panama operates the world's largest ship registry, with over 8,500 merchant ships registered under the Panamanian flag. CK Hutchison has launched ⁠an ​international arbitration case against Panama over the Supreme Court decision, claiming damages of more than $2 billion. Earlier in March, China's state-owned shipping company COSCO suspended services at one of the ports in question, while Beijing has also summoned executives from Denmark's Maersk and Switzerland's MSC after these companies signed 18-month deals with Panama to run the ports.