Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino dismissed recent threats by US President-elect Donald Trump to regain control of the Panama Canal.
Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas belongs to Panama and will continue belonging to Panama.
Mulino’s statement came a day after Trump had complained about the canal on his Truth Social platform.
“Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous.”
Trump also complained about China’s growing influence around the canal, as American businesses depended on the canal to move goods between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
It was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else. We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!
The Panama Canal, which was completed by the United States in 1914, was returned to Panama under a 1977 agreement signed by President Jimmy Carter. The country gained full control in 1999.
Trump stated that if Panama failed to provide “the secure, efficient and reliable operation,” the US would demand that the canal “be returned to us, in full, and without question.” Mulino, however, rejected his threats.
“The canal has no direct or indirect control from China, nor the European Union, nor the United States or any other power. As a Panamanian, I reject any manifestation that misrepresents this reality.”
