Trump threatens strong action over Panama Canal control
President Donald Trump wants to regain control over the Panama Canal. "We're going to take it back or something very powerful is going to happen," he told reporters.
Speaking to reporters shortly after stepping off Air Force One at Andrews Base, President Donald Trump said Secretary of State Rubio was currently in Panama for discussions regarding the Panama Canal. He criticized the situation, asserting that the agreement had been violated and emphasizing that China was now overseeing the canal despite it being transferred to Panama rather than directly to China. Trump insisted that such a breach of the agreement was unacceptable and warned that the U.S. would either reclaim control or take significant action in response.
Let us recall that on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panama, where he met with the country's president, Raul Mulino.
According to a statement from the State Department following the discussions, Secretary Rubio conveyed to President Mulino and Minister of Foreign Affairs Martinez-Acha that President Trump had initially concluded that the Chinese Communist Party's current level of influence and control over the Panama Canal area threatened the canal and violated the treaty governing its permanent neutrality and operation.
Rubio described this situation as "unacceptable" and threatened that "absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the treaty."
However, the head of U.S. diplomacy expressed gratitude for the "constructive" discussions and Panama's efforts to reduce migration through the Darien Gap, a key part of the migratory route to America.
A firm response from Mulino
Panama's President Raul Mulino said at a press conference following the meeting that he might prematurely end the agreement with China regarding its involvement in the Chinese Belt and Road infrastructure project, which the country subscribed to in 2018 under the previous President, Juan Carlos Varela.
Mulino also stated that the Panamanian authorities are conducting an audit of the Panama Ports Company, a company associated with China that operates two ports around the canal. "We have to wait until that audit ends before we can reach our legal conclusions and act accordingly," Mulino said.
At the same time, he ruled out the possibility of returning the canal to U.S. control, stating that Panamanian sovereignty over the passage "is not up for debate."
The President of Panama also stated that he does not believe that, despite President Donald Trump's threats, there is a real risk of the use of military force by the United States to retake the canal.
