US President Donald Trump said the US would do it take back the Panama Canal, denouncing China’s influence over the vital waterway and the high fees charged to American ships.
In his inaugural address on Monday, Trump repeated criticism he had made in recent weeks about the canal, which carries about three percent of global maritime trade each year.
The United States oversaw the construction of the Panama Canal, which opened in 1914, but returned full control to the Central American country in 1999. Some officials in Washington are increasingly concerned about the presence of Chinese companies in the region, including a Hong Kong-based company that operates terminals at both ends.
“We didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama and we’re taking it back,” Trump said.
The Panamanian government has rejected Trump’s comments and accusations of Chinese influence. President José Raúl Mulino said in December that the canal “is and will be Panamanian and promotes global trade.”
China does not control the Panama Canal.
Trump has also said that American ships, including military vessels, would be overwhelmed by the canal. A severe drought in the region of the canal, which uses fresh water to operate its locks, has driven up the cost of the crossing over the past 18 months, following restrictions and changes to the allocation of slots.
