Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino rejected the words of US President Donald Trump, who said that Washington had begun to regain control of the Panama Canal, and accused the American leader of lying.
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Trump touched upon the situation with the Panama Canal when he addressed both houses of Congress on Tuesday evening. As proof of his words, he referred to an agreement on the purchase of canal ports by an American company.
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“President Trump is lying again. The Panama Canal is not in the process of being transferred under anyone’s control, and even more so it was not even discussed in our conversations with Secretary of State Marco Rubio or anyone else. On behalf of Panama and all Panamanians, I reject this new insult to the truth and our dignity as a nation,” the Panamanian leader wrote on the social network.
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According to Mulino, cooperation between the governments of Panama and the United States is based on clear agreements on issues of mutual interest.
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“The Canal is Panamanian and will remain Panamanian!”, he added.
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During his inaugural address on January 20, Trump announced his intention to take control of the Panama Canal. On February 2, US Secretary of State Rubio paid a visit to Panama and told Mulino that Trump did not want to maintain the status quo regarding the Panama Canal with the alleged increased influence of China on the region. After that, the head of Panama said that the government of the country would not extend the memorandum of understanding with China on the “One Belt, One Road” initiative.
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At the same time, Boris Moreno, the operational vice president of the Panama Canal, said that China does not take any part in its direct operation. He explained that Trump’s statements about the transfer of the Panama Canal to Chinese control are related to the operation of two ports operated by CK Hutchinson Holdings, based in Hong Kong. According to Moreno, this company manages ports in England, the Mediterranean, Malaysia, and the Middle East, but “the focus was on Panama.”
