China consistently supports Panama's efforts to maintain ...

China consistently supports Panama's efforts to maintain sovereignty over Panama Canal, says Chinese FM in response to US President-elect's threat to reassert US control over the canal

Visitors watch a cargo vessel sailing on the Panama Canal near Panama City, Panama, Aug. 28, 2024. The Panama Canal, connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, spans over 80 kilometers and is one of the world's most important trade waterways. The Panama Canal officially opened on Aug. 15, 1914. This year marks the 110th anniversary of its inauguration. Photo: Xinhua

The Panama Canal is a great creation of the Panamanian people, and China has always supported their just struggle to maintain sovereignty over Panama Canal, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday, commenting on US President-elect Donald Trump's claim that the canal is a "vital national asset" for the US, while he threatened to reassert US control over the Panama Canal.

China will continue to respect Panama's sovereignty over the canal and recognizes it as a permanently neutral international passageway, Mao said.

Trump on Sunday threatened to reassert US control over the Panama Canal, which he called a "vital national asset" for the US. He accused Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage and drawing a sharp rebuke from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, Reuters reported on Monday. 

Trump also said he would not let the canal fall into the "wrong hands," warning of potential Chinese influence on the passage, according to the report.

"As president, I want to express precisely that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama and will remain so. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable," Mulino said in response to Trump's claim on Sunday in a video he published on his X account, Anadolu Agency reported. 

Refuting Trump's allegation of China getting involved in the canal's management, Mulino said the canal "is not under direct or indirect control, neither by China nor by the European community, by the US or by any other power," saying that such statement "distorts reality," the report said. 

When asked to comment on the matter, Mao said at Monday's press briefing that China had noted the Panamanian President's statement. Mao stressed that the Panama Canal represents the great creation of the Panamanian people and serves as a vital conduit for the global connectivity. 

China has consistently supported Panama's efforts to maintain their sovereignty over the canal. As early as the 1960s, large-scale demonstrations were held across China to actively support the Panamanian people's fight to reclaim sovereignty over the canal, Mao said.

"China will remain committed to respecting Panama's sovereignty over the canal and recognizes the canal as a permanently neutral international passageway. We believe that under the efficient management of Panama, the Panama Canal will continue to contribute to the connectivity and communication among peoples of various countries and enhance human well-being," the spokesperson said. 

Global Times