President Jose Raul Mulino Rejects Trump’s Claims of U.S. Reclaiming Canal
Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino has accused U.S. President Donald Trump of lying about the United States “reclaiming” the Panama Canal, emphasizing that the waterway remains fully under Panama’s control. Trump made the claim during his address to Congress, referencing a deal in which a U.S.-led consortium, BlackRock Inc., agreed to buy a controlling stake in a Chinese-owned port operator at both ends of the canal, a transaction that still requires approval from Panama’s government.
Trump has long criticized the 1999 U.S. handover of the canal to Panama under a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter, arguing that China exerts influence over its operations and suggesting the U.S. is being overcharged for using it. While U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has echoed concerns about Chinese influence, Panama and Beijing have consistently rejected these claims, maintaining that the canal is independently managed. The 80-kilometer canal, which handles 5 percent of global maritime trade and 40 percent of U.S. container traffic, remains a critical shipping route, and despite Trump’s rhetoric, Panama insists its sovereignty over the waterway is intact.
