After the US President-elect threatened to seek control of the crucial waterway, Jose Raul Mulino says there is no chance of starting a discussion over the Panama Canal.
Denying that China was meddling in the Panama Canal’s functioning, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has ruled out talks with US President-elect Donald Trump over control of the canal.
In reaction to Trump’s ultimatum to insist that Washington regain control of the crucial waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Mulino also rejected the idea of lowering tolls for US vessels on Thursday.
Mulino said, “There’s nothing to talk about,” during a press conference.
“The canal is Panamanian, and Panamanians own it. This reality has cost the nation blood, sweat, and tears, and there is no chance of starting a dialogue about it,” he continued.
In accordance with treaties negotiated almost 20 years prior by then-US President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian nationalist leader Omar Torrijos, the canal was constructed by the United States and turned over to Panama on December 31, 1999. It was first opened in 1914.
Trump alluded to China’s expanding might on Saturday while criticizing what he described as “ridiculous” tolls for US ships using the canal.
Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that “it was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else.”
He declared, “We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!” He added, “We will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full and without question,” if Panama was unable to guarantee “the secure, efficient and reliable operation” of the channel.
“No interference from China”
Ships traveling between Asia and the US East Coast can skip the lengthy and dangerous path around the southern tip of South America by using the Panama Canal, which is used by an estimated 5% of all marine traffic worldwide.
With 74% of all cargo, the United States is the largest consumer, followed by China with 21%.
The interoceanic waterway’s usage costs, according to Mulino, are “not set at the whim of the president or the administrator” but rather follow a well-established “public and open process.”
“There is absolutely no Chinese interference or participation in anything to do with the Panama Canal,” Mulino stated.
Without providing any proof, Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday that Chinese troops were “lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal.”
Mulino also refuted that accusation.
“There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God,” he stated.
After severing ties with Taiwan, a move that Trump’s first government criticized, Panama established diplomatic ties with China in 2017.
