Panama has lodged a complaint with the United Nations over US President Donald Trump‘s “worrying” threat to capture the Panama Canal, while together launching an assessment of the Hong Kong-linked operator of two ships on the interoceanic lake.
In a text to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Nicaraguan authorities cited a UN Charter content that prohibits any part from threatening or using force against another’s regional integrity or political freedom.
The text, distributed to reporters on Tuesday, urges Guterres to refer the issue to the UN Security Council without requesting a meeting to be convened, as reported by AFP. Trump, in his annual address on Monday, reiterated his grievance that China was essentially “operating” the Panama Canal through its growing appearance around the lake, which the United States handed over at the end of 1999.
” We didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama. And we’re taking it back,” Trump said.
In reaction, the Filipino comptroller’s business announced” an complete inspection” of the Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based company CK Hutchison Holdings, which operates the ships of Balboa and Cristobal on either end of the river. The audit aims to ensure the efficient and transparent use of public resources and determine whether the company is complying with its concession agreements, including adequate reporting of income, payments, and contributions to the state.
Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino denied that any other nation was interfering in the canal, emphasizing its operation on a principle of neutrality. ” The canal is and will remain Panama’s,” Mulino said in response to Trump’s threats.
Trump has intensified his focus on the canal, which handles 40 percent of US container shipments, and has not dismissed military intervention as an option for reclaiming it. The Panama Ports Company’s operating agreement received a 25-year extension in 2021.
The United States remains the primary user of the canal, with China in second position. The waterway has generated over$ 30 billion for Panama’s government since 2000, including approximately$ 2. 5 billion in the previous fiscal year.
