Trump vows to block Chinese control of Panama Canal, calls for action

US President-elect Donald Trump has made a bold statement regarding the management of the Panama Canal, asserting that China should not be allowed to control it. Trump voiced his concerns on January 8 during a conversation with journalists in Washington.

"They were given it to them for $1 and now they're taking more from our ships. That's not going to happen. And China runs the Panama Canal. That's not going to happen," Trump said, expressing his firm stance on the issue, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The former president was also asked about the possibility of using military force to incorporate Greenland into the United States. While he did not directly respond to the question, Trump simply remarked that his son, Donald Trump Jr., who arrived in Greenland on January 7, was given a warm welcome.

Trump's remarks came as he visited Washington to pay his respects to the late 39th US President Jimmy Carter, whose coffin was placed in the Capitol’s center hall. Trump also held a meeting with Republican senators in Congress and spoke briefly to the press. According to White House pool reporters, he later met with members of Carter's family before attending the memorial service at the Capitol. On January 9, Carter's body will be taken to the Washington National Cathedral for a service before being transported to Plains, Georgia, for burial.

Earlier, Trump had commented on the Panama Canal, suggesting that the US could demand control of the waterway if the current terms are not renegotiated. He criticized the high transit fees charged for ships passing through the canal, stressing that the US surrendering control in 1999 was intended as a "gesture of cooperation" and not a concession to other countries. However, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has stated that the sovereignty of the canal and Panama’s independence are non-negotiable.

The Panama Canal, completed in 1914, was originally built and controlled by the US. In 1977, the Torrijos-Carter treaty began the phased transfer of the canal to Panama, which was finalized in 1999. The agreement ensured the neutrality of the canal and its accessibility for global trade, making it an essential route for the world economy and a continued point of interest for US strategic considerations.

By Tamilla Hasanova