Panamanian President Jose Raul Molino said that his country’s sovereignty over the Panama Canal is not negotiable, adding that every square meter in the canal and its surroundings belongs to us.
It is noteworthy that US President-elect Donald Trump said that the Panama Canal is considered a vital asset for the United States, due to its crucial role in the American economy and national security, adding: “The United States is stealing from Panama.”
He added in a conference, “Our naval forces and trade are being treated very unfairly. The fees are very high, and if the moral and legal principles of this generous gesture from us when we gave the canal to the State of Panama are not followed, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in full.”
He continued: “We will not allow the Panama Canal to fall into the wrong hands (China), and to the officials in Panama, you must act.”
Trump accused Panama of imposing exorbitant fees for the use of the Panama Canal, and said that if Panama did not manage the waterway, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, in an acceptable manner, he would demand that the US-allied country hand it over.
In a post on his social media site Truth Social, Trump also warned that he would not allow the canal to fall into the “wrong hands,” and appeared to warn of potential Chinese influence on the waterway, writing that the canal should not be run by China.