PANAMA CITY — Panama President José Raúl Mulino said Thursday there will be no negotiation with the United States over ownership of the Panama Canal, and he hopes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s upcoming visit will allow them to focus on shared interests including migration and combating drug trafficking.
Being the destination for the first overseas visit by the top U.S. diplomat would have been big for Panama in any case, but Rubio comes as the emissary of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly suggested the U.S. retake the Panama Canal.
On the day of his inauguration, Trump claimed that U.S. ships were being “severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form,” noting that “above all, China is operating the Panama Canal.” He had previously said the U.S. could demand the canal be returned.
Mulino tried to downplay the tension at his weekly press conference Thursday. He spoke of wanting to clarify confusion about China’s role in the canal — a Hong Kong consortium manages ports at both ends, but Panama controls the canal – and blamed a predecessor for the long-term concession made for control of the ports.
“It’s impossible, I can’t negotiate,” Mulino said when asked about returning the canal to U.S. control. “That is done. The canal belongs to Panama.”
The United States built the canal in the early 1900s as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.
“The only thing that I want is to clear all the garbage from the path, clean the table and be able to speak with the United States and very frankly” about issues including immigration, security and the fight against drug trafficking, Mulino said.
Rubio is scheduled to meet with Mulino Sunday and visit the canal.
Panama’s president, Laurentino Cortizo, has made it clear that there will be no negotiation about the ownership of the Panama Canal. In a recent statement, Cortizo emphasized that the canal is a national asset and a source of pride for the Panamanian people.
The Panama Canal, a key waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, has been under Panamanian control since the United States handed over ownership in 1999. The canal plays a crucial role in global trade, allowing ships to avoid the long and treacherous journey around the southern tip of South America.
Cortizo’s firm stance on the ownership of the canal comes amidst speculation about potential foreign interests seeking to gain control of the strategic waterway. However, the president has assured the public that the canal will remain under Panamanian sovereignty and that there will be no negotiations regarding its ownership.
As Panama continues to assert its control over the canal and its surrounding infrastructure, it is clear that the country is committed to safeguarding this vital asset for generations to come.
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Panama Canal ownership, Panama president statement, Canal negotiation, Panama Canal sovereignty, Panama Canal history, Panama Canal ownership dispute, Panama Canal negotiations, Panama Canal politics, Panama Canal news
PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama President José Raúl Mulino said Thursday there will be no negotiation with the United States over ownership of the Panama Canal, and he hopes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s upcoming visit will allow them to focus on shared interests including migration and combating drug trafficking.
Being the destination for the first overseas visit by the top U.S. diplomat would have been big for Panama in any case, but Rubio comes as the emissary of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly suggested the U.S. retake the Panama Canal.
On the day of his inauguration, Trump claimed that U.S. ships were being “severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form,” noting that “above all, China is operating the Panama Canal.” He had previously said the U.S. could demand the canal be returned.
Mulino tried to downplay the tension at his weekly press conference Thursday. He spoke of wanting to clarify confusion about China’s role in the canal — a Hong Kong consortium manages ports at both ends, but Panama controls the canal – and blamed a predecessor for establishing diplomatic relations with China.
“It’s impossible, I can’t negotiate,” Mulino said when asked about returning the canal to U.S. control. “That is done. The canal belongs to Panama.”
The United States built the canal in the early 1900s as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.
“The only thing that I want is to clear all the garbage from the path, clean the table and be able to speak with the United States and very frankly” about issues including immigration, security and the fight against drug trafficking, Mulino said.
Rubio is scheduled to meet with Mulino Sunday and visit the canal.
In a recent statement, Panama’s President made it clear that there will be no negotiation about the ownership of the Panama Canal. The iconic waterway, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, has been under Panamanian control since the 1999 transfer from the United States.
The President emphasized that the Panama Canal is a vital national asset and a source of pride for the country. He stated that the canal’s ownership is not up for discussion and that Panama will continue to manage and operate the waterway in the best interest of its citizens.
This announcement comes amidst growing concerns about the strategic importance of the Panama Canal and its role in global trade. As one of the busiest and most important waterways in the world, the Panama Canal plays a crucial role in facilitating the movement of goods between the East and West.
With this firm stance on ownership, Panama is sending a clear message to the international community that the canal is a non-negotiable piece of its national identity and sovereignty. The President’s statement underscores Panama’s commitment to protecting its interests and ensuring the continued success of the Panama Canal for years to come.
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Panama, President, ownership, canal, negotiation, Panama Canal, Central America, infrastructure, international relations, sovereignty, waterway.
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested the United States take over the Panama Canal, a shipping waterway that cuts across Central America, unless fees for using the canal are lowered.
Panama’s leader shot back in a recent statement, saying the waterway is not for sale. Since then, Trump has posted repeatedly about the canal.
Here’s what to know about the history of the Panama Canal and the United States’ involvement with the shipping lane.
History of the Panama Canal
The Panama Canal was built by the United States between 1904 and 1913, and opened in 1917. Building the canal cost about $375 million, making it the most expensive construction project in U.S. history at that time, according to the Panama Canal Authority. Thousands of laborers died during the grueling construction process.
The canal connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, offering ships a shortcut to avoid going around the tip of South America. The canal revolutionized shipping traffic in the region.
The U.S. acquired the rights to build and operate the canal in the early 20th century, but at the time, Panama was in the process of seceding from Colombia, whose senate was refusing to ratify a treaty that would allow the canal to be built, according to the State Department’s Office of the Historian.
Theodore Roosevelt sits in a the carriage of a crane at the Panama Canal, while workers look on.
CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
To ensure the canal could be built, then-President Theodore Roosevelt supported Panamanian independence, and in 1903, the U.S. and Panama signed a treaty that established permanent U.S. rights to a “Panama Canal Zone” that stretched across the nation. However, the person who negotiated on Panama’s behalf did not have formal consent from the nation’s government and had not lived in the country for 17 years, causing many Panamanians to question the treaty’s validity, according to the Office of the Historian.
Throughout the 20th century, the U.S. and Panama dealt with tensions surrounding the canal, including a riot in the 1960s that led to a brief disruption in diplomatic relations between the countries. In 1967, the U.S. and Panama began negotiating a new treaty, eventually reaching an agreement, but a change in elected leaders and a coup in Panama led to the establishment of a new government in the Central American nation, according to the Office of the Historian. Because of that, the negotiations “suffered a major setback.”
Negotiations continued through the ’70s. When Jimmy Carter was elected president, he made concluding the negotiation process a priority, and in 1977, two treaties were submitted to the U.S. Senate: the Neutrality Treaty, which said the U.S. could use its military to defend the canal, allowing “perpetual U.S. usage” of the waterway, and the Panama Canal Treaty, which would end the existence of the Panama Canal Zone and allow the canal to be turned over to Panama in December 1999. As part of the second treaty, Panama would also become primarily responsible for defending the canal.
President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Brigadier General Omar Torrijos shake hands after signing the Panama Canal Treaty in 1977.
HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Who operates the Panama Canal?
The Panama Canal has been owned and operated by the Panama Canal Authority, a government-owned agency, since 1999. The agency was established shortly before the canal was returned to Panama.
Since taking control of the waterway, the Panama Canal Authority has invested billions in expanding the canal. A $5.25 billion expansion of the canal opened in 2016, doubling the waterway’s capacity and cutting global maritime costs by an estimated $8 billion a year, CBS News previously reported. The expansion also allowed larger ships to pass.
Who uses the Panama Canal?
About 40% of the world’s cargo ship traffic moves through the Panama Canal, CBS News previously reported, though recent droughts have forced operators to reduce ship crossings.
About two-thirds of the traffic in the canal is either headed for or leaving the United States, though ships from all over the world use the waterway each day, according to the Panama Canal Authority.
A bulk carrier navigates through the Panama Canal on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024.
Tarina Rodriguez/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Between 13,000 and 14,000 ships use the canal each year, the agency said.
Trump and Panamanian president clash
Trump first seemed to suggest the United States should take over the Panama Canal in a TruthSocial post on December 21.
He also raised the issue to a crowd of supporters at Turning Point’s AmericaFest on Sunday, where he said Panama is charging “exorbitant prices” and said the “complete ripoff of our country will immediately stop.”
“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving, are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question,” Trump said.
On Wednesday, Trump said he would nominate Miami-Dade International Trade Consortium member Kevin Marino Cabrera to be the U.S. ambassador to Panama. In that announcement, he accused Panama of “ripping us off on the Panama Canal, far beyond their wildest dream.”
Trump continued to post online about the U.S. regaining ownership of the canal, and referenced the canal in a Christmas Day message shared on TruthSocial. He warned of potential influence from China at the shipping waterway, though there is no Chinese presence at the canal, according to Reuters. A Hong Kong-based company manages two ports along the canal, Reuters said.
Panama President José Raúl Mulino said in a statement shared on social media that “every square meter” of the canal “belongs to Panama and will continue belonging to Panama.”
“We’ll see about that!” Trump wrote online in response.
Mulino responded to Trump again in a news conference on Thursday, saying that “anyone in the world is free to visit the canal” and adding that “there is not a single Chinese soldier in the canal, and on the other hand, there will not be, and we maintain a respectful, well-managed relationship with China.” Mulino hosts weekly news conferences.
Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino speaks during his weekly press conference at the presidential palace in Panama City on December 26, 2024.
ARNULFO FRANCO/AFP via Getty Images
Mulino said that while there are “delicate problems such as immigration” that both he and Trump “are concerned about as presidents,” the two leaders have “nothing to discuss” as far as ownership of the Panama Canal.
“The specific approach, the Canal is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians, there is no possibility of opening any kind of conversation about this reality that has cost the country tears, sweat and blood to achieve,” Mulino said.
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
The Panama Canal is not for sale, Panama’s president has declared. This vital waterway, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, has been a source of national pride and economic prosperity for Panama since it was opened in 1914.
The history of the Panama Canal dates back to the late 19th century when the French attempted and failed to build a canal through Panama. The United States took over the project in 1904 and completed it in 1914. The canal has since been a key strategic asset for global trade, shortening the journey between the East and West coasts of the Americas.
In 1999, Panama gained full control of the canal under the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, marking a significant moment in the country’s history. Since then, Panama has managed and operated the canal, overseeing its expansion and modernization to accommodate larger ships and increased traffic.
Despite rumors and speculation about the potential sale of the canal, Panama’s president has firmly stated that it is not for sale. The canal remains a critical piece of infrastructure for Panama and a symbol of national sovereignty.
As one of the busiest and most important waterways in the world, the Panama Canal plays a crucial role in global trade and commerce. Its history and status as a key asset for Panama underline the country’s commitment to managing and protecting this vital resource for generations to come.
