President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to restore US control over the Panama Canal, accusing Panama of imposing excessive fees for using the Central American passage and prompting a sharp backlash from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Arizona, Trump also said he would not allow the canal to fall into the "wrong hands", warning of potential Chinese influence.
China does not control or administer the canal, but a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings has long managed two ports on the Caribbean and Pacific entrances to the canal.
The president-elect made the comments hours after he made a similar threat against Panama in a post on the Truth Social platform on Saturday night.
“Has anybody ever heard of the Panama Canal?” Trump said Sunday at AmericaFest, an annual event organized by Turning Point, a conservative group. "Because we are being ripped off in the Panama Canal like we are being ripped off everywhere else."
Trump's comments are an extremely rare example of a US leader saying he could push a sovereign country to surrender territory. It also underlines an expected shift in US diplomacy under Trump, who has historically not shied away from threatening allies and using strong rhetoric when dealing with counterparts.
"The tariffs being applied by Panama are ridiculous, very unfair," Trump said. "It was given to Panama and the people of Panama, but there are conditions. You must treat us fairly and they have not treated us fairly. If the principles, moral and legal, of this grand gesture of giving are not followed by deeds, then we will to demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, complete, quickly and without question".
In a recorded message released by Panamanian President Mulino on Sunday afternoon, the country's leader said Panama's independence was non-negotiable and that China had no influence on the administration of the canal. He also defended the tariffs, saying they were not imposed "on a whim".
"Every square meter of the Panama Canal and the surrounding area belongs and will continue to belong to Panama," said President Mulino in the statement that was published on Platform X.
Several other Panamanian politicians, including opposition representatives, posted on social media criticizing Trump's statements.
The United States largely built the canal and administered the territory around the crossing for decades. But in 1977 the United States and Panama signed a pair of agreements that paved the way for the return of the canal under full Panamanian control. The United States relinquished control of the crossing in 1999 after a period of shared administration.
The canal, which allows up to 14,000 ships to pass annually, accounts for 2.5% of global seaborne trade and is essential for US imports of cars and commercial goods from container ships from Asia and for US exports of goods, including natural gas. natural liquid. VOA (A2 Televizion)
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