President Donald Trump called for military and commercial vessels from the US to travel through the Canals of Sues and Panama without facing charges, adding that he had directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take care of the matter.
“Both military and commercial American ships should be allowed to travel free of charge through Panama and the Suez Canal!” Trump wrote in post A true society. “These canals do not exist without the United States. I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take care of and commemorate the situation!”
The Trump post comes when Defense Secretary Pete Hegses announced it earlier this month at a press conference in Panama. Before being handed over to Panama in the 1990s, the US and Panama announced that they would “sign a declaration that provides a framework for US warships and auxiliary vessels built in the early 1900s “first free” by the US.”
The US built the canal in the early 1900s and maintained it for decades before handing it over to Panama in the 1990s, but China has poured money into projects and infrastructure in recent years. If China could close the canal as a pathway between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans that handles more than 40% of US maritime trade, it would be a catastrophe for the US
In December 2024, Trump threatened to seize the Panama Canal if Panama continued to tear the US apart, referring to how US ships were charged for “diplomatic” fees to travel the canal.
Trump described the Panama Canal as a “significant national asset” for the United States, adding that “the safe Panama Canal is important to American commerce.”
“The Panama Canal is considered an important national asset for the United States because of its important role in America’s economy and national security,” Trump writes true and socially. post at that time. “The safe Panama Canal is extremely important to US commerce, and is a rapid naval deployment from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, significantly reducing shipping times to US ports.”
In February, Rubio managed to convince Panama not to renew its agreement with China to join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
