Panama Canal Will Stay in Our Hands, Minister Tells Trump
- Panama has insisted that its sovereignty over the Panama Canal is "non-negotiable" after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out military force to seize it.
- Trump remarked during a news conference on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, at which he also falsely stated that the Panama Canal was being operated by Chinese soldiers. Panama's Foreign Minister Javier MartÃnez-Acha responded by saying that "the only hands operating the canal are Panamanian and that is how it is going to stay".
- The Panama Canal was managed by the US for decades but under a treaty signed by the late US President Jimmy Carter in 1977, it was handed over to the Panamanians on December 31, 1999.
- In his news conference on Tuesday, Trump described President Carter's decision to hand the canal back as "a big mistake". Pressed by journalists on whether he would rule out using military or economic force to acquire the Panama Canal (and also the Arctic Island of Greenland), he said: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two."
- Panama's foreign minister denied his country had received any offer from the president-elect. "Trump's opinions today, that he has talked about a certain amount of money, are not true. No kind of offer has been received, let it be clear," MartÃnez-Acha said. He added that "our canal's sovereignty is not negotiable and is part of our history of struggle and an irreversible conquest".
(Source: BBC)