Panama rejects Trump’s canal control demand

The sovereignty of the vital waterway is not up for debate, President Mulino has said

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino has rejected US President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to reclaim the control over the Panama Canal. Mulino described the waterway as an integral part of Panama’s national heritage, stressing that its ownership is not up for negotiation. 

“The canal is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians,” Mulino stated during a press conference on Thursday, as quoted by AFP. “There’s no possibility of opening any kind of conversation around this reality, which has cost the country blood, sweat, and tears.”

“If there is an intention to talk, then there’s nothing to talk about,” he stressed.

Trump recently criticized the fees imposed on US vessels transiting the canal, describing them as “exorbitant” and claimed that the strategic waterway was falling under Chinese influence. “We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. 

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Speaking at a news conference, Mulino said there was “absolutely no Chinese interference” in the canal, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. 

Mulino’s stance was supported by other Latin American leaders, who backed Panama’s sovereignty over the waterway. “The Panama Canal belongs to Panama, and its sovereignty must be respected by all nations,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said. 

The Panama Canal, a crucial conduit for global maritime trade, was built by the US in the early 20th century and remained under American administration until the end of 1999, when it was officially transferred to Panama in accordance with a series of bilateral treaties signed in 1977.