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José Raúl Mulino rejects the possibility of talks with Donald Trump, who threatened that the US could regain control of the Panama Canal.
The Panamanian president has rejected the threats of The President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump that the United States could reassert control over the Panama Canal, saying “there is nothing to talk about.”
President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday also ruled out reducing canal tolls for US ships and denied that China has any influence over the vital waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
“If there is an intention to talk, then there is nothing to talk about,” Mulino said during a weekly news conference.
“The channel is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians. There is no possibility of opening any kind of conversation around this reality, which has cost the country blood, sweat and tears”.
The president’s comments come days after Trump, who takes office next month, threatened to take back control of the Panama Canal for what he said were “ridiculous” fees charged by the Panamanian authorities.
The United States exercised administrative control over the canal for decades before handing it over to Panama in 1999.
In a series of social media posts over the past week, Trump accused the Central American country, with which Washington has had diplomatic relations since 1903, of “cheating” the US over the Panama Canal.
“Our Navy and our commerce have been treated in a very unfair and senseless manner,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.
“The fees charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially considering the extraordinary generosity the US has bestowed upon Panama. This complete ‘scam’ of our country must be stopped immediately.”
Trump also claimed that Chinese soldiers were operating “lovingly, but illegally, the Panama Canal.”
That claim was rejected on Thursday by the Panamanian president, who said China has no role in the administration of the canal.
“There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal for God’s sake, the world is free to visit the canal,” Mulino told reporters.
China does not control or administer the canal, but a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings manages two ports located at the canal’s Caribbean and Pacific entrances.
Meanwhile, Trump on Wednesday appointed Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera as his envoy to Panama.
Describing Cabrera as “a fierce fighter for America First principles,” Trump said in a social media post that he “will do a FANTASTIC job representing our nation’s interests in Panama.”
Earlier this week, dozens of protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Panama City angry over Trump’s comments about the Panama Canal.
Protesters chanted “Trump, you animal, leave the channel alone!” and burned a photo of the new US president.