The president-elect also repeated his claims that Panama is “robbing us.”
“The tariffs imposed by Panama are ridiculous and wildly unfair,” Trump told a crowd of conservative activists on Sunday.
Trump said that if shipping rates are not reduced, “we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in full, quickly and without a doubt.”
Trump also said he didn’t want the Panama Canal to fall into the wrong hands, and specifically pointed to China.
China is the second largest user of the Panama Canal after the United States, according to the data, and also has significant investments in the Central American country.
On Christmas Day, Trump sent dozens of messages defending his policies and nominations, and repeated his proposals to annex Greenland and Canada.
It is unclear how serious Trump is about regional moves, or how they will be achieved.
Up to 14,000 ships travel through the 51-mile (82-kilometer) canal each year, including container ships carrying cars, natural gas and other goods, and military ships.
The canal was built in the early 1900s. The United States maintained control of the canal zone until 1977, when treaties gradually ceded the land to Panama. After a period of joint control, Panama gained sole control in 1999.
The costs of crossing the canal have increased over the past year due to the historic drought, according to Lloyd’s List, the shipping industry website.
Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings operates two ports at the entrances to the canal.
