Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino rejected President-elect Trump’s claims of Chinese interference and high fees to use the Panama Canal. The post Panama’s president rejects Trump’s claim of Chinese interference at canal appeared first on FreightWaves.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino on Thursday vehemently denied President-elect Trump's claims of Chinese interference in the Panama Canal.Why it matters: Trump has accused Panamanian authorities of charging "exorbitant" shipping rates and cited the increasing dominance of China's government in trade throughout the Americas as a reason to take control of the Panama Canal,

There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal. You are free, the whole world is free to visit the canal if you please,' says Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino - Anadolu Ajansı

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino said China has no stake in the Panama Canal and US warships pay the same toll rates as other nations, pushing back against Donald Trump’s threats over the key waterway.

In a message posted to his Truth Social account on Wednesday, Trump wrote: "Merry Christmas to all, including to the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal". Mulino called the claim "nonsense" and said that there is "absolutely no Chinese interference".

US 'gets nothing in return' for ‘billions of dollars’ worth of repairs to canal, says president-elect - Anadolu Ajansı

Treaties ratified by the Senate in 1978 established permanent neutrality, but some Republicans regret that decision.

President Mulino said the ‘canal is Panamanian and there’s no possibility of opening any kind of conversation around this reality’.

Sen. Ben Cardin said on ABC's "This Week" that President-elect Donald Trump's threats to seize the Panama Canal could drive U.S. allies toward to Russia and China.