After US President-elect Donald Trump repeated inaccurate claims that China controls the Panama Canal, Panama has again reaffirmed its sovereignty over the key Atlantic-Pacific waterway, DW reports.
Panama reiterated on Tuesday that the sovereignty of its eponymous ship canal was not up for discussion after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out military action to regain control.
"The sovereignty of our canal is not negotiable and is part of our history of struggle," Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha said, adding that President Jose Raul Mulino had made his stance clear.
Trump made the remarks during a rambling news conference held at his home in southern Florida, which was supposed to be about Emirati investment in US technology.
But the president-elect went off-track, repeating unsubstantiated claims that the Panama Canal — which was built by the United States in the early 20th century and handed over to Panama in part in 1977 and in full in 1999 — was now being operated by China.
"Look, the Panama Canal is vital to our country," Trump said. "It's being operated by China — China! — and we gave the Panama Canal to Panama, we didn't give it to China. They've abused that gift."
Martinez-Acha dismissed the claim, saying: "The only hands operating the canal are Panamanian and that is how it is going to stay."
