‘Nonsense’: Panamanian president dismisses Trump claims China controls Panama Canal
President-elect escalates threats against Panama, falsely claiming Chinese soldiers are controlling the canal
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Your support makes all the difference.President José Raúl Mulino of Panama brushed off U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s baseless claim that Chinese soldiers are “operating the Panama Canal,” calling it “nonsense.”
In a Christmas Day message on Truth Social, Trump sarcastically wished a merry Christmas to “the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal” and “making certain that the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in ‘repair’ money, but will have absolutely nothing to say about anything.”
He then claimed the Panamanian government is “ripping off” the United States at the Panama Canal.
But Mulino put a stop to the accusation in a press conference on Thursday, saying there is no truth to the claim Chinese soldiers are operating the canal.
“There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal. For the love of God, you are free, the whole world is free, to visit the canal if you please,” Mulinto said in a translated speech.
“What [Trump] has said on this issue is nonsense, it does not exist,” he added.
Trump last weekend threatened twice to take over the canal in a post on Truth Social and at a conference of the conservative Turning Point USA in Phoenix, where he told the crowd he is prepared to take control because he’s angry about “exorbitant’ use fees.
Mulina said after those threats: “The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.”
The president-elect’s attack on the canal is the latest in his series of complaints about other countries and their relationship with America.
Trump has attacked Mexico and Canada for what he believes are unfair trade practices and harmful border policies. He has mocked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and said he’d make Canada the 51st state. He has also lambasted the European Union for selling more products to the U.S. than buying from the nation.
But in his latest, more threatening claims, Trump suggested the U.S. should not only take over the canal but Greenland, a territory of Denmark, as well.
Trump floated the idea of buying Denmark – a country not for sale – during his first administration. In a Truth Social post last Sunday he insisted that American “ownership and control” of Greenland is an “absolute necessity” for world “security” and “freedom.”
As for the Panama Canal, Mulino denied U.S. vessels are being overcharged to use the waterway and emphasized that China plays no role in the canal. A Hong Kong-based firm manages two ports at the Panama Canal’s entrances, but Panama owns and operates the entire canal.
“Look, there are no Chinese on the canal. As simple as that. Neither the Chinese nor any other power are in the channel,” Mulino said. Any Chinese on the canal are aboard a cruise ship or visiting the canal like other tourists, he noted
“I reiterate, there is absolutely no Chinese interference or participation in anything that has to do with the Panama Canal,” Mulino said.
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