March 18 (Reuters) - Chinese authorities have begun

looking into Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison's ( CKHUF )

sale of its overseas port businesses to a

BlackRock ( BLK )-led consortium, Bloomberg News reported on

Tuesday.

Senior Chinese leaders have directed multiple agencies,

including the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR),

to review the deal for potential security risks and antitrust

violations, the report added.

(Reporting by Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru)