Incoming White House President Donald Trump has accused Panama of charging excessive fees for using the Panama Canal, and has threatened to return the canal to US control.
Points of attention
- Panama has controlled the canal for the past 25 years.
- China's potential influence on the canal also worries Trump, and he promises to fight it.
Trump began to threaten Panama
What is important to understand is that the US largely built the canal and governed the area around the passage for decades.
However, a quarter of a century ago, the American government fully transferred control of the Canal to Panama after a period of joint administration.
Donald Trump believes that the fee charged by Panama "is absurd, especially given the extraordinary generosity that the United States has given to Panama."
If the principles, both moral and legal, of this generous gesture of donation are not respected, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full and without question.
Donald Trump
Future US President
Trump rebuked China again
According to the future head of the White House, he will do everything possible to ensure that the channel does not fall into the "wrong hands."
Thus, Donald Trump hinted at China's potential influence on the passage, writing that the canal should not be under Beijing's control.
What is important to understand is that about 5% of the world's maritime traffic passes through the Panama Canal, which allows ships traveling between Asia and the US East Coast to avoid the long, dangerous route around the southern tip of South America.
In 2023, the waterway received record revenues of almost $5 billion.
The main users of the channel are the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea.
