Panamanian President Rejects Trump's Vow To Take Back Panama Canal: 'It Is And Will Continue To Be Panama´s'

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino again rejected the plea by his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to take back the Panama Canal. In a publication on X, Mulino said the canal "is and will continue being Panama's" adding that its management will continue to be under the country's authority.

"I repeat what I said back in December: the canal will continue being Panama's and it will continue to be under our control," Mulino said. "The canal was not granted by anybody. It was the result of generational fights that concluded in 1999, thanks to the Torrijos-Carter treaty. Since then, for 25 years, we have expanded it in order to serve the world and its commerce, including the U.S."

The statement was published shortly after Trump's inauguration speed, in which he said the treaty between both countries had been "totally violated" and vowed to taking the Panama Canal back.

"American ships are being severely overloaded and they are not being treated fairly, and that includes the U.S. Navy," Trump said. "China is using the Panama Canal and we did not give it to China. We gave it to Panama. And we will get it back," President Trump added.

He also reiterated his plan of renaming the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America" and said that the U.S. will "reclaim its legitimate place as the biggest, strongest and most respected nation on Earth."

Mulino also rejected Trump's claim that China is using the canal. "There is no presence from any nation in the world that interferes with our management of the canal," Mulino said.

It is not the first time Mulino has publicly rejected Trump's claims about Chinese involvement in the canal. Last month he said "there are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God." "There is not a single Chinese soldier in the canal," he added.

He went on to detail Panama is open to investment from any interested parties: "If they're Chinese, if they're Costa Rican, if they're American, all who want to invest in the country are welcome." "There is no discrimination here in foreign investment," he added.

He also called on the Trump administration to engage in dialogue dialogue to clarify some of his claims without undermining Panama's rights and sovereignty of the 50-mile canal.