On Wednesday morning, President Panama Jose Raul Murino accused President Donald Trump of “lied again” after repeating his call to regain control of the Panama Canal at a joint Congress meeting Tuesday night.
“Once again, President Trump is lying. The Panama Canal is a task of not being a recovery process, but being discussed in conversations with Secretary Rubio or others,” Murino said on social media. “On behalf of Panama and all Panama people, I reject this new humiliation to the truth and our dignity as a nation.”
“Intergovernmental cooperation, as we have done, is based on a clear understanding of the issue of mutual interest. We must do nothing by “restoring the canal” and obstructing our national sovereignty,” he continued. “The canal is Panamaan and remains Panama!”
Trump, between him speech He told Congress that in order to strengthen national security, the US would reclaim the Panama Canal and declare that “we have already started it.” He mentioned the deal announcement Hours before a speech between Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings Limited and asset manager BlackRock, he has bought a majority stake in the Hutchison Port Company since 1997, and has managed two ports on the opposite side of the Panama Canal since 1997.
“Today, American companies announced they would buy both ports around the Panama Canal and many other ports associated with the Panama Canal and several other canals,” President Trump said. “The Panama Canal was built by the Americans for Americans, but not for others. But others can use it.”
in DecemberTrump began debate over the Panama Canal, which was built by the United States in 1914 and handed over to Panama in 1999. The canal retained American ownership based on an agreement signed by the two countries during the administration of the former US president in 1977. Increased US investment in canal operations could lead to increased Chinese influence over key trade routes.
“It was given to us for a dollar by the Carter administration. But that agreement is very strictly violated. We didn't hand it over to China, we gave it to Panama and we'll get it back,” President Trump said Tuesday.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lynn Jiang rebutted President Trump's statement remarks During his regular briefing on Wednesday.
“On the Panama Canal issue, China supports Panama's sovereignty over the canal and commits to maintaining the canal's condition as a permanent, neutral international waterway,” Lin said. “China has never engaged in the management and operation of canals. We have never interfered. The so-called Chinese rule over the canal is nothing more than a lie.”
A Chinese spokesman claimed that there were “no comments” on the deal between Hutchison and BlackRock, but that China supports Chinese companies. Companies from Hong Kong must comply with Chinese law after China's communist regime terminated its “one country, two systems” policy in 2020.
“Where they go, we hope they have access to a fair and fair business environment. We are opposed to the abuse of coercion and pressure in international trade and economic relations,” Lynn said.
The ongoing debate over the Panama Canal has led several Panama and Chinese government officials to call on President Trump to dismiss claims of China's influence on trade routes and to call on the US to control it.
in Februarythe Chinese embassy in Panama claimed that the US accusations of China's influence on the canal were “pure lies.” This comment was made by Ad, Commander of the United States South (Southcom) to the Central American nation. It was in service of Alvin Holsey's two-day visit at the time. Holsey met with several Panama government officials and discussed topics such as protecting the Panama Canal region from “the influence and control of the Chinese Communist Party.”
President Murino on social media postcited Lieutenant General Holsey's visit by stating that the bilateral agenda with the US is important and relevant, but emphasized that for Panama it does not involve an analysis of “untrue circumstances.”
President Murino repeatedly Rejected Negotiations that may be related to reinstate control of the Panama Canal to the United States claim that trade routes will remain entirely under Panama's control. Murino issued the official one after saying he would be issued all sorts of official responses after waiting for President Trump to take office on January 20th letter Hours after President Trump took office, he expressed his “concern” to Executive Director Antonio Guterres about Trump's call to recapture control of the Panama Canal.
Christian K. Calzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
