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Panama Launches Audit of Canal Port Operator Amid Trump Threats [1]
['Agence France-Presse']
Date: 2025-03
Trump, in his inaugural address Monday, repeated his complaint that China was effectively "operating" the Panama Canal through its growing presence around the waterway, which the United States handed over at the end of 1999.
"We didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama. And we're taking it back," he said.
Trump has been raising pressure for weeks over the canal — through which 40% of U.S. container traffic travels — and has repeatedly refused to rule out military force against Panama, historically friendly to Washington.
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino swiftly denied that any other nation was interfering in the canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, saying his country operated it through a principle of neutrality.
"The canal is and will remain Panama's," Mulino said.
Panama Ports Company's concession agreement was extended by 25 years in 2021.
The United States is the canal's main user, followed by China.
Since 2000, the waterway has contributed more than $30 billion to Panama's state coffers, including nearly $2.5 billion in the last fiscal year.
Even so, Panama's comptroller general, Anel Flores, said recently that "Panamanians deserve a little more respect and a little more resources," referring to the port operator.
©2025 Agence France-Presse
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[1] Url:
https://www.industryweek.com/the-economy/news/55262449/panama-launches-audit-of-canal-port-operator-amid-trump-threats
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