On Monday, Panama President Jose Raul Molino rejected statements by US President Donald Trump in his inauguration speech in which he pledged to restore the Panama Canal.
“The canal is Panamanian and will remain so,” Molyneux said in a post on the “X” platform.
He added that his country managed this vital sea corridor out of a sense of responsibility towards the world and trade, including the United States.
The Panamanian President also said that his country will continue to manage the canal with permanent neutrality.
Earlier Monday, Trump said in his inauguration speech in Congress that his country would restore the Panama Canal, adding that “it is time for us to move courageously because we are a great nation.”
The US President pointed out that the United States spent a lot of money, and that many Americans lost their lives during the construction of the Panama Canal.
In the past few weeks, Trump has expressed more than once his desire to control the Panama Canal under the pretext of ensuring the economic security of the United States. He spoke of this sea corridor being subject to Chinese influence, and did not rule out the use of military force to achieve his goal.
The Panamanian President denied that the canal was subject to the influence of China or any other country, and stressed that his country’s sovereignty and independence are non-negotiable, saying that “every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas is the property of Panama and will remain its property.”