The deal is a spineless, groveling, profit-seeking move that sells one’s integrity for personal gains,” said the opinion piece, said an opinion piece in a Beijing-backed newspaper.

China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) reposted a commentary criticising CK Hutchison's port deal with U.S. firm BlackRock as a betrayal of China, sending shares of the Hong Kong-based conglomerate sharply lower on Friday.

Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison is under renewed pressure from Beijing after selling its Panama Canal ports, with Chinese authorities publishing newspaper criticism of the deal for the second time in three days.