Trump also pointed to China’s growing influence around the canal that connects the Atlantic to the Pacific.
US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to demand control of the Panama Canal after accusing Panama of overcharging US ships passing through one of the world’s busiest waterways.
“Our navy and our trade have been treated very unfairly and carelessly. The fees charged by Panama are ridiculous,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.
“This complete ‘rip-off’ of our country will stop immediately.”
The U.S. largely built the canal in 1914 and administered the area around the passage for decades. However, after a period of joint management, Washington handed control of the canal completely to Panama in 1999.
Trump also pointed to China’s growing influence around the canal that connects the Atlantic to the Pacific.
“The sole responsibility lay with Panama, not with China or anyone else,” he said. “We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!”
The post was an extremely rare example of a U.S. politician saying he could pressure a sovereign country to hand over territory.
“It was not given for the benefit of others, but simply as a sign of cooperation with us and Panama. If the moral and legal principles of this generous gesture of giving are not followed, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in full and without question,” Trump said.
Trump’s tariff plan
It also underscores an expected shift in U.S. diplomacy under Trump, who has not shied away from threatening allies and using rhetoric in dealings with his opponents in the past.
Last month, Trump said he would Imposing tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports on the first day of his term and that the measures would remain in place until the “invasion” of illegal migrants and drugs ends.
“Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to simply resolve this long-simmering issue. We hereby demand that they use this power and until then it is time for them to pay a very heavy price!” he posted on his Truth Social platform.
Authorities in Panama did not immediately respond to Trump’s post.
An estimated 5 percent of global maritime traffic passes through the Panama Canal, allowing ships traveling between Asia and the east coast of the United States to avoid the long, dangerous route around the southern tip of South America.
The Panama Canal Authority reported in October that the waterway generated record revenue of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year.
