The head of the Panama Canal Authority dismissed President-elect Trump's claims that China controls the trade route and criticized his comments about tolls.
Ricaurte Vázquez Morales said. wall street journal President Trump's accusation that China runs the Panama Canal is “baseless,” he said.
“China has no involvement in our business,” he said.
Vázquez-Morales said there are no exceptions to this rule and that it cannot discriminate against China or the United States “and against anyone else.”
“This would violate the Neutrality Treaty and international law and cause chaos.”
President Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of the United States controlling the Panama Canal.
At a news conference Tuesday, President Trump declined to commit to not using U.S. troops to seize the passage.
“The Panama Canal is extremely important to our country. It's run by China,” President Trump said. “And we gave the Panama Canal to Panama, not to China.”
The Panama Canal has been under Panama's control for nearly 25 years under a 1977 agreement pushed by the late President Carter. At a press conference, President Trump asserted that China is the custodian of the canal.
China has invested heavily in Panama through construction agreements and controls two of its five major ports, but Vázquez Morales dismissed the idea.
President Trump also claimed that Panama is seeking $3 billion to repair the canal, which would result in higher fees for U.S. shipping and U.S. Navy vessels.
Prime Minister Vázquez Morales said the country had not requested any money from the United States to build the canal and it was unclear what kind of money President Trump was referring to, the newspaper reported.
He also denied that the canal authority was charging higher fees to U.S. ships.
Vázquez-Morales noted that pursuant to the treaty, U.S. naval vessels have priority passage through the canal.
