Panama Canal to be run by Panama and open to trade from all nations, says official
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Canal’s administrator denies president-elect Donald Trump’s assertions of Chinese meddling and that the US should take it over. The Panama Canal will remain in Panamanian hands, and open to commerce from all countries, according to the administrator of the waterway, who rejected claims by president-elect Donald Trump that the US should take it over.
Ricaurte Vásquez denied Trump’s claims that China was controlling the canal’s operations, and said making exceptions to current rules concerning its operation would lead to “chaos”. He said Chinese companies operating in the ports on either end of the canal were part of a Hong Kong consortium that won a bidding process in 1997. He added that US and Taiwanese companies are operating other ports along the canal as well.
Trump has gone so far as to suggest the US should take back control of the canal and he would not rule out using military might to do so. “It might be that you’ll have to do something,” Trump said on Tuesday. “The Panama Canal is vital to our country.” Trump has characterised the fees for transiting the canal that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as “ridiculous”.
Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino, has said unequivocally that the canal will remain in Panamanian hands. Vásquez stressed that the Panama Canal was open to the commerce of all countries. The canal cannot give special treatment to US-flagged ships because of a neutrality treaty, Vásquez added. “The most sensible and efficient way to do this is to maintain the established rules.”.
