Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino categorically ruled out any talk with US President-elect Donald Trump on the issue of control over the Panama Canal. Mulino said that on Thursday in response to Trump’s recent statements which suggested that the canal must be returned to the United States.
“The canal is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians,” Mulino said at a weekly press conference, dismissing the possibility of negotiations. He recalled that the canal was transferred to Panama in 1999 after the treaties signed by then-US President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos.
Trump had criticized Panama’s tolls for US ships by terming them unfair. He also hinted that the influence of China over the canal was increasing. “If Panama cannot control and effectively manage the operation, then the US will certainly ask for it back”, he warned.
Mulino dismissed Trump’s concerns, explaining that the canal’s usage fees are set through a long-established, transparent process, and reaffirmed that China has no involvement in the waterway.
Mulino’s comments followed protests in Panama City on Tuesday, where demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy, chanting “Trump, animal, leave the canal alone” and burning an image of the incoming president. The tensions reflect deep sensitivity in Panama over the canal’s sovereignty and its historical significance to the country.
