Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha said the sovereignty of the Panama Canal is non-negotiable, responding to recent statements by US President-elect Donald Trump.
Points of attention
- Panama strongly asserts the non-negotiable sovereignty of the Panama Canal in response to Donald Trump's statements, emphasizing its historical significance.
- Trump's ambiguous remarks about controlling Greenland and the Panama Canal have caused uproar, with Denmark and Panama firmly rejecting such claims.
- The involvement of China in the Panama Canal operations has been denied by Panamanian officials, highlighting the canal's independent management by Panama.
- Trump's willingness to consider military action to control territories like Greenland and the Panama Canal raises questions about US foreign policy under his administration.
- The international community's mixed reactions and controversies surrounding Trump's statements reflect broader concerns about the US presence and influence in global politics.
Panama reacted harshly to Trump's statements
"The sovereignty of our channel is non-negotiable and is part of our history of struggle for independence," Martinez-Acha said.
He also rejected Trump's claims that the Panama Canal is now allegedly being operated by China.
The only hands that control the canal are Panamanian, and it will continue to be so, the minister emphasized.
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino previously called Trump's statement "nonsense," denying any Chinese interference.
China is the second-largest user of the Panama Canal after the United States, and is also a major investor in the Central American country, as it is in many other parts of the world.
Trump threatens to take over the Panama Canal militarily
US President-elect Donald Trump does not rule out the use of force to control Greenland and the Panama Canal.
Asked whether he would rule out economic or military coercion to gain control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, Trump said he would not confirm this.
No. We may have to do something.... You're talking about Panama and Greenland - no, I can't assure you of either.
Donald Trump
Newly elected US president
It is noted that Trump himself has repeatedly expressed his desire for the United States to buy Greenland, calling the Danish territory and the largest island in the world an "absolute necessity" for national security.
People don't even know if Denmark has any legal right to it, but if it does, they should give it up (Greenland - ed.) because we need it for national security.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who rejected Trump's first offer to buy Greenland in 2019, called his new statement "absurd."
Trump has also previously demanded that Panama restore ownership of the canal, which the United States transferred to Panama in 1977.
