The Panama Channel authority denied the US State Department (US) allegation that US government vessels could cross the channel without paying fees, probably increasing tensions after President Donald Trump threatened to resume control of the crossing.
The channel’s authority, an autonomous agency supervised by the Panamanian government, said in a statement that it had not made any changes to charge fees or rights to cross the channel, adding that the statement was directly in response to US allegations.
The US State Department said the Panama government had agreed not to charge more crossing rates for US government vessels, which would save millions of dollars a year for the US.
“With full responsibility, the authority of the Panama Canal, as indicated, is willing to establish dialogue with relevant US authorities regarding the traffic of war ships from the country,” the channel’s authority replied.
Panama became a focal point of the Trump administration, after the president accused the Central American country of charging excessive fees to use his commercial ticket, one of the busiest in the world.
“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of donation are not followed, we will require the Panama Canal to be returned to us, in full and without question,” Trump said last month.
He also repeatedly stated that Panama gave control of the channel to China, which Panama and China deny.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with President Panamenho, José Raúl Mulino, earlier this week, as part of a journey through Central America. Mulino has promised to withdraw from China’s belt and route initiative and have also rejected Trump’s threat that the US resumes channel control.
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