US President Donald Trump has said the United States will not allow China to take control of the Panama Canal, renewing his criticism of the decades-old decision to hand the strategic waterway over to Panama.
Speaking at the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, Trump argued that Washington should never have transferred control of the canal under the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties.
Trump Slams Panama Canal Handover
Trump criticised the decision to transfer ownership of the canal, claiming Panama significantly increased transit fees after assuming control while continuing to attract global shipping traffic.
“The Panama Canal, so we gave it away. The first thing they did, you know what they did? They raised the prices for the ships by four times, and they didn’t lose one ship. And then they raised it again twice, and they didn’t lose one ship. All they did was make tremendous amounts of money for years and years. How stupid was that?” Trump said.
The Panama Canal is one of the world’s most strategically important maritime routes, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and serving as a vital corridor for global trade.
Trump Accuses China of Seeking Influence
Trump also alleged that China is attempting to expand its influence over the canal, although he did not provide evidence to support the claim.
“And now China’s trying to take over the Panama Canal, and we’re not going to let that happen, okay? And that was not part of the script because I don’t really have a script because this thing doesn’t work,” he said.
His remarks reflect longstanding concerns within sections of the US political establishment over China’s growing commercial and infrastructure presence in Latin America.
Strategic Waterway Remains a Flashpoint
The Panama Canal has remained a sensitive geopolitical issue since the United States transferred control to Panama under the Torrijos-Carter Treaties signed in 1977. Panama assumed full control of the canal on 31 December 1999.
In recent years, Washington has increasingly expressed concerns about China’s expanding economic footprint in the region, particularly around strategic infrastructure projects.
Trump’s latest comments suggest the canal remains a key issue in the broader strategic competition between the United States and China, with the former president reiterating that Washington would oppose any move that it believes strengthens Beijing’s influence over one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
(with inputs from Reuters)
