The Panama Canal Authority has rejected a US State Department claim that US ships will be able to pass through the canal without paying tolls, Reuters reported.
In a statement, the Agency said it had not made any changes to the imposition of tolls or rights of passage through the canal. On January 5, the US State Department said that the government of Panama had agreed to no longer charge tolls to US government ships, a move that will save the country millions of dollars a year.
The canal authority stressed that it was "fully prepared" to establish a dialogue with relevant US officials regarding the transit of warships.
As a reminder, US President Donald Trump has threatened that the US will regain control of the Panama Canal, accusing Panamanian authorities of charging excessive rates for the use of a commercial route. Trump has also repeatedly accused Panama of ceding control of the canal to China, a claim that Panama and China deny.
On February 2, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino as part of a trip through Central America, with Mulino pledging to withdraw from China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative.
Mulino has also repeatedly rejected Trump's threat that the US will regain control of the canal, which it largely built and administered over decades.