Recently, multiple websites in mainland China published articles claiming that Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing donated $500 million to Ukraine through a Panama fund and attended the opening ceremony of the “Li Ka-shing Center” in London. However, Chinese media reposted a statement from Cheung Kong Group, debunking the above rumors.
On September 8th, several mainland Chinese websites including Sohu and NetEase posted articles under the title “Li Ka-shing Sudden Donation of $500 Million to Ukraine! It’s obvious, he judges that Ukraine will win.” The article claimed that, according to multiple sources, 97-year-old Li Ka-shing donated $500 million to Ukraine through the “Panama Fund” at the “Li Ka-shing Center” in London.
The article went on to describe that on September 4, 2025, Li Ka-shing personally attended the opening ceremony of the “Li Ka-shing Center” in London’s financial district. The report claimed that this office building, named by Li Ka-shing’s Cheung Kong Group, was originally the London headquarters of UBS Group, which the Cheung Kong Group purchased for £1 billion in 2018.
Furthermore, the article analyzed that Li Ka-shing’s actions were based on the judgment that Ukraine was going to win and join the European Union, expecting its economic development to accelerate. It claimed that this was not the first time Li Ka-shing had made strategic investments ahead of time, as he had a team of 200 professionals dedicated to researching global investment opportunities.
Regarding the above news, mainland Chinese media such as Sina Finance, NetEase, and Guancha.cn published articles on September 9, reporting that Cheung Kong Group released a clarification statement regarding the recent spread of false information about Mr. Li Ka-shing. The statement pointed out that rumors about Li Ka-shing’s attendance at the opening ceremony of a London building and the donation of $500 million to Ukraine circulating on mainland media and social platforms were entirely fabricated.
However, Hong Kong media including Ta Kung Pao, Wen Wei Po, Hong Kong Economic Times, South China Morning Post, have not reported on the above news, and the official Chinese authorities have not responded to the matter.
In fact, the movements of Li Ka-shing and his enterprises have always been closely watched by the market, especially regarding the progress of the transaction to sell global port assets including the Panama port by the Cheung Kong Infrastructure.
In March this year, CKI planned to sell 43 ports globally for $22.8 billion to a consortium led by the US Blackstone Group, but the deal became more complex later. It was reported that Beijing has requested China Cosco Shipping to participate in the transaction and hold a certain stake.
On August 14, CKI released its interim performance report. CKI’s Co-Managing Director Lu Falan stated at an analyst briefing that even if they could reach a binding agreement ahead of time, the deal might not be completed within this year.
Previously, Li Ka-shing has sold new housing projects at discounted prices in various locations such as Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong. In July this year, Henderson Land Development, a subsidiary of CK Asset, disposed of 400 properties in Guangdong at a minimum individual price starting from 400,000 RMB.
These series of activities in real estate and overseas assets reflect Li Ka-shing’s strategic adjustment to expedite asset realization and fund recirculation in the current economic environment.