Panama reiterated on Tuesday that the sovereignty of its designated ship canal was not up for discussion after US President-elect Donald Trump ruled out military action to seize control.
Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha said, “The sovereignty of our canal is non-negotiable and is part of the history of our struggle.” He said President Jose Raul Mulino has made his stance clear.
Trump made the comments during an entertaining news conference held at his home in southern Florida, which was believed to be about Emirati investments in US technology.
But the president-elect veered off course, repeating baseless claims that the Panama Canal – which was built by the United States in the early 20th century and was partially turned over to Panama in 1977 and fully in 1999 – Now it was being operated by China.
“Look, the Panama Canal is important to our country,” Trump said. “It’s being run by China – China! – and we gave the Panama Canal to Panama, we didn’t give it to China. They’ve abused that gift.”
Martínez-Acha rejected the claim, saying: “The sole hands that operate the canal belong to Panama and it will remain that way.”
Does China really have control over the Panama Canal?
Trump made similar inaccurate comments in December when he wished a Merry Christmas to “China’s wonderful soldiers who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal.”
The President of Panama described the claim as “nonsense” and said that “there was absolutely no Chinese interference.”
China is the second-largest user of the Panama Canal after the US, and like in many parts of the world, is a major investor in the Central American country.
Two ports at the canal’s entrances are managed by a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings and Beijing has helped finance a new bridge over the waterway, but China does not own or control the canal, nor There is no evidence of Chinese military involvement.
Is Panama betraying the United States?
Trump has also claimed that Panama is “cheating” the United States with higher shipping rates, sparking protests outside the US embassy.
According to shipping publication Lloyd’s List, canal transit costs actually increased last year due to the historic drought, but not just for the US.
Construction of the Panama Canal was originally begun by France in the 1880s, but was halted after the number of deaths of workers in the harsh conditions became insurmountable and the company managing the operation went bankrupt. The United States acquired the project in 1904 and the work was completed in 1914, two years ahead of schedule.
The canal was officially handed over to Panama in 1977 by former US President Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29 and whose body was returned to Washington for an official funeral on Tuesday.
But that didn’t stop Trump from telling reporters: “I liked him as a man. I disagreed with his policies. He thought giving the Panama Canal was a good thing.”
Trump’s recent Panama Canal threats, as well as additional belligerent and abusive territorial claims against Canada, Greenland and Mexico, have also emerged.
MF/ZC (AFP, AP, EFE)
