The government of Panama announced on Tuesday it sent a formal letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressing its “concerns” over President Donald Trump’s statements on having the United States retake control of the Panama Canal.
The Panamanian Foreign Ministry published a copy of the missive signed by the nation’s Permanent Representative at the U.N. Eloy Alfaro de Alba. In the letter, the diplomat referred to Article 2 of the United Nations charter which states that all member-states “shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”
The diplomat also requested that Guterres forward a copy of a statement issued by President José Raúl Mulino on Monday to the members of the U.N. Security Council.
Mulino, who expressed in early January that he would wait for President Trump to take office before responding to him, issued a formal statement on Monday afternoon shortly after President Trump and Vice President JD Vance were sworn in.
In the statement, Mulino rejected “in a comprehensive manner” the remarks President Trump issued over the Panama Canal during his inaugural speech. President Trump stated on Monday that the United States “foolishly” gave away the Panama Canal and asserted that “above all, China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.”
“I reiterate what I expressed in my message to the Nation last December 22: the Canal is and will remain Panama’s and its administration will continue to be under Panamanian control with respect for its permanent neutrality,” Mulino’s statement read. “There is no presence of any nation in the world that interferes with our administration.”
Mulino continued his statement by stating that the Panama Canal “was not a concession from anyone,” but that it was the result of “generational struggles that culminated in 1999” with the Torrijos-Carter treaty. Mulino said that, since then, Panama has administered and expanded the canal “responsibly to serve the world and its commerce, including the United States.”
“We will exercise the right that protects us, the legal basis of the Treaty, the dignity that distinguishes us and the strength that gives us the International Law as a suitable way to manage relations between countries and, above all, between allied and friendly countries, as demonstrated by history and our actions with respect to the United States,” Mulino’s statement added.
“Dialogue is always the way to clarify the aforementioned points without undermining our rights, total sovereignty and ownership of our Canal,” the president concluded.
Asked if he was concerned the United States would invade Panama and take over the canal during his participation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mulino reportedly responded “be serious, be serious.”
While Muino has repeatedly asserted that neither China or any other country has any influence on the Panama Canal, the government of Panama launched an audit process on Monday of Hutchison Ports, a Hong Kong-based company that presently operates ports at both ends of the trade route as part of a company known as Panama Ports Company. The Argentine outlet Infobae stated on Tuesday that Hutchison Ports “is seen as an example” of China’s presence in the trade route.
According to the Office of Panama’s Comptroller General, the audit seeks to ensure “the efficient and transparent use of public resources.” The company reportedly first obtained concessions to operate in the Panama Canal in 1997, which were renewed in 2021.
Last week, during his confirmation hearing in Congress, Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed President Trump’s concerns over the possible Chinese influence in the important interoceanic trade route, describing it as a significant threat to the United States’ national security.
An infographic titled “US President Donald Trump’s First Executive Orders and Statements” (Omar Zaghloul/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“I’m compelled to respect that an argument could be made that the terms under which that canal were turned over have been violated, because, while technically, sovereignty over the canal has not been turned over to a foreign power, in reality, a foreign power possesses it through their company companies,” Rubio said
“If [China] orders a company to shut it down or impede our transit, they will have to do so,” he added.
President Trump started the ongoing debate over the Panama Canal in December. At the time, Trump accused Panama of imposing “exorbitant” and “rip-off” transit fees on U.S. ships, and asserted that Chinese soldiers are “lovingly, but illegally” operating the Panama Canal.
Mulino dismissed Trump’s initial assertions as “nonsense” and denied that U.S. ships are being “ripped off” by Canal transit fees. The Panamanian president also denied the presence of the Chinese military along the trade route.
“There is absolutely no Chinese interference or participation in anything related to the Panama Canal. There are no soldiers from that nation in the canal, for God’s sake,” Mulino said at the time. “There are no Chinese in the canal, as simple as that. Neither Chinese nor any other power.”
“The whole world is free to visit the canal. If you find a Chinese soldier in the canal, personally, I will recognize President-elect Donald Trump for what he has said on that subject,” he added.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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