China's market regulator said it is closely monitoring CK Hutchison's planned port asset sales and warned the company and its partners not to bypass antitrust scrutiny.

The State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement to China Daily on Sunday that the regulator is "highly concerned" about the transaction and will conduct a review in accordance with the law.

"Parties must not circumvent the review process by any means, or implement concentration activities without prior approval. Otherwise, they will bear legal responsibility," a SAMR spokesperson said.

The comments came as The Wall Street Journal reported that CK Hutchison plans to split the sale of its overseas port assets into two separate deals to advance the transactions.