The president of Panama, Jose Raul Mulino firmly rejected any negotiations with US President-elect Donald Trump over control of the Panama Canal, asserting that the waterway remains under Panama’s jurisdiction.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Mulino said in a press conference on Thursday. “The canal is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians. There’s no possibility of opening any kind of conversation about this reality, which has cost the country blood, sweat, and tears.”
The Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, was constructed by the United States and operated by Washington until it was handed over to Panama on December 31, 1999, following treaties signed by then-US President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos.
Trump had recently criticised the fees for US vessels passing through the canal and suggested that China was increasingly influencing its operations. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called the tolls ridiculous and suggested that if Panama could not guarantee the secure operation of the canal, the US would demand its return.
“It was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else,” Trump wrote. “We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!”
Mulino emphasised that the Panama Canal’s tolls were set through a long-established, transparent process, not by the whim of the president or administrator. He also firmly denied Trump’s claims that China was involved with the canal’s operations, stressing, “There is absolutely no Chinese interference or participation in anything to do with the Panama Canal.”
Trump had further alleged without evidence that Chinese soldiers were operating the canal. Mulino rejected this as well, stating, “There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God.”
Panama established diplomatic relations with China in 2017, after severing ties with Taiwan—an action that was criticised by Trump’s administration.
In response to Trump’s remarks, a group of demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy in Panama City on Tuesday, chanting, “Trump, animal, leave the canal alone,” and burning an image of the incoming US president.
