Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said today that his American counterpart Donald Trump is “lying again“ about the Panama Canal, as his country has no intention of handing over control of it to the United States, reported Agence France-Presse.
“President Trump lies again. The Panama Canal is not in process of being returned“ and this issue was not raised during bilateral talks, Mulino said on the social network “Ex“.
“To further strengthen our national security, my government will take back the Panama Canal and we have already begun to do so“, the American president said in his speech to Congress.
The canal, built by the United States and opened in 1914, passed into Panamanian hands in 1999 under bilateral treaties signed during the term of Democratic President Jimmy Carter.
The United States and China are the two main users of this canal, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, through which 5 percent of world maritime trade passes. Trump has already warned that he does not rule out the use of force to take control of the canal.
“On behalf of Panama and all Panamanians, I reject this new attack on our truth and dignity as a nation“, wrote Mulino.““The cooperation between our governments is based on clear agreements on matters of mutual interest, as we have always done. It has nothing to do with “restoring control of the canal“ or violating our national sovereignty“, he added.“Donald Trump condemned alleged Chinese interference in the management of the canal, as two ports located at its entrances have been managed since 1997 by Hong Kong giant “CK Hutchison“.
“CK Hutchison“ announced yesterday that it had agreed to sell its stake in the ports of Cristobal on the Atlantic side and Balboa on the Pacific side, as well as other port facilities, to a US consortium led by the investment company “BlackRock“. The parties announced yesterday in a joint statement and in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that they had begun a 145-day period of trade negotiations.