US asks Panama to end Chinese influence on canal

(CLO) On February 2, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino that Washington would take measures if Panama did not immediately take steps to limit China's influence in the Panama Canal.

After talks with Secretary Rubio in Panama City, Mr. Mulino said he would review agreements involving China and Chinese companies. He also stressed that Panama's sovereignty over the canal was not negotiable. He also pledged closer cooperation with the United States on migration.

US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Mr. Rubio conveyed President Donald Trump's message that China's presence, especially through Hong Kong company CK Hutchison Holdings, which operates two ports near the canal, is a threat and violates the US-Panama treaty.

"Secretary Rubio has made clear that this situation is unacceptable and that if there is no immediate change, the United States will take the necessary measures to protect its interests under the treaty," Ms. Bruce emphasized.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on February 2. Photo: X/SecRubio

Since returning to the White House, Mr. Trump has repeatedly claimed that China controls the Panama Canal and threatened to regain control of the waterway.

On February 2, Mr. Trump emphasized that Panama had violated the agreement. "China is running the Panama Canal. It should belong to Panama but they violated the agreement, and we will take it back, otherwise something very big will happen," Mr. Trump told reporters.

Secretary of State Rubio, who took a tough stance on China during his time as a senator, warned that China could use ports near the canal to block the vital route in the event of a conflict with the United States.

On Panama's side, President Mulino said he would review several projects involving China, including a 25-year contract for CK Hutchison Holdings to operate ports at both ends of the canal, which he said would be renewed in 2021. He stressed that the contract would be re-evaluated through an audit.

China has rejected the US accusations, insisting it has no involvement in the canal's operation and respects Panama's sovereignty. "China has never interfered in the Panama Canal's operation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said, stressing that Beijing regards it as a "permanently neutral international waterway."

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters, Guardian, WP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/my-yeu-cau-panama-cham-dut-anh-huong-cua-trung-quoc-doi-voi-kenh-dao-post332787.html