Panamanian President: Every square meter of Panama belongs to Panama and will remain under Panama’s control!
Donald Trump: We will see about that!
Donald Trump posted a photo of the Panama Canal with the U.S. flag in the middle of the waters, captioned, “Welcome to the United States Canal.”
In a recent statement about the Panama Canal, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said, “If the government of Panama does not adhere to all the ethical and legal principles of the Panama Canal, the United States will take back control.” Trump further expressed, “Just as we are treated unfairly in other places, the same is happening at the Panama Canal, and it must end.”
In response, Panamanian President Raúl Mulino clarified, “As the President of Panama, I want to make it clear that Panama’s sovereignty and national independence is not up for discussion. Every square meter of the Panama Canal is the property of Panama and will remain under Panama’s control.”
However, Donald Trump responded to Mulino’s statement, saying, “We will see about that.”
It is worth noting that although Panama gained its independence from Colombia with U.S. assistance in the 20th century, and the Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, was built with U.S. help and was administered by the U.S. for decades, the United States handed full control of the canal to Panama in 1999 through a treaty. But now it appears that China is gaining more influence over the canal.
