Jose Raul Molino rejects the prospect of talks with Donald Trump, who has threatened that the United States could regain control of the Panama Canal.
The Panamanian president rejected US President-elect Donald Trump’s threats that the United States might reassert control of the Panama Canal, saying there was “nothing to talk about.”
President Jose Raul Molino on Thursday also rejected the possibility of reducing canal fees for American ships and denied that China would have any influence on the vital waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
“If there is an intention to talk, there is nothing to talk about,” Molyneux said during a weekly press conference.
“The canal is Panamanian and owned by the Panamanians. There is no room to open any kind of conversation about this reality that cost the country blood, sweat and tears.
The president’s comments come days after Trump, who takes office next month, threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal over what he described as “ridiculous” tariffs imposed by Panamanian authorities.
The United States imposed administrative control over the canal for decades before handing it over to Panama in 1999.
In a series of social media posts over the past week, Trump accused the Central American country, with which Washington has had diplomatic relations since 1903, of “stealing” the United States in the Panama Canal.
“Our Navy and our trade have been treated in a very unfair and unwise manner,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.
“The fees imposed by Panama are ridiculous, especially considering the extraordinary generosity that the United States has extended to Panama. This complete ‘fraud’ of our country will stop immediately.”
Trump also claimed that Chinese soldiers were “lovingly but illegally running the Panama Canal.”
The Panamanian president rejected the claim on Thursday, saying China had no role in managing the canal.
Molyneux told reporters: “There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God. The world is free to visit the canal.”
China does not control or operate the canal, but a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings has long operated two ports located on the canal’s approaches in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
Meanwhile, Trump on Wednesday appointed Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera as his envoy to Panama.
Trump described Cabrera as a “fierce fighter for America First principles,” and said in a post on social media that he “will do a great job representing our nation’s interests in Panama!”
Earlier this week, dozens of demonstrators gathered in front of the US Embassy in Panama City, protesting Trump’s comments about the Panama Canal.
The demonstrators chanted, “Trump, you animal, leave the channel alone!” They burned a picture of the next American president.
