It was not necessary for a single American troop to fire a shot for a change in the management of the Panama Canal favorable to the interests of the United States to occur. It was enough for Washington to make clear that, to counter Chinese influence on strategic infrastructure like the canal, all options were on the table, including military intervention.
The decisive factor that made this change possible came from a recent decision by the Supreme Court of Justice of Panama, which declared the concessions granted to Panama Ports Company (PPC) unconstitutional. Since 1997, this company has operated the ports of Balboa, on the Pacific, and Cristóbal, on the Atlantic, and its control core is of Hong Kong origin.
After learning of the ruling, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino changed his speech: he went from defending the administration of the canal against President Donald Trump’s claim that it was under the influence of China, to announcing that APM Terminals Panama—a subsidiary of the Danish company AP Møller-Maersk—was designated by the Panama Maritime Authority to temporarily assume the administration of the ports during the transition period.
The decision was welcomed in Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his country was encouraged by the ruling. APM Terminals is considered a reliable and experienced operator within the maritime and logistics sector, backed by the global dimension and track record of the AP Møller-Maersk group, as well as its proven operational capacity.
What is underway, despite the legal controversy surrounding the ruling, is not only an administrative adjustment, but a change of a geopolitical and strategic nature. This realignment of a critical infrastructure opens important opportunities for the Dominican Republic, which has the United States as its main trading partner and could strengthen itself as a secondary regional distribution hub and capture benefits for its development that go far beyond the advantage of low wages.
The emerging logic points to complementary specialization: Panama would concentrate on ensuring flows, and the Dominican Republic, on assembly and higher value-added services. In this way, Panama would ensure the transit, while our country would capture the value.
