‘That is sealed’: Panama president says no discussions over canal with US

With top American diplomat Marco Rubio on a trip to the Central American nation, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has decided against talking about controlling the Panama Canal.

Mulino also rebutted US President Donald Trump’s claim that China is operating the canal, which connects the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, on Thursday.

Trump has pledged to overtake control of trade-critical strategic waterways.

“I cannot negotiate, much less open, a process of negotiation on the canal”, Mulino told reporters. “That is sealed. The canal belongs to Panama”.

In his first overseas trip as US secretary of state, Rubio will make a number of reports in US media that include reports that he will travel to Panama and other nations in the area in the coming days.

When the canal’s construction was first completed in 1914, the US was able to maintain control of it until a 1977 treaty authorized Panama to transfer full control of the waterway in 1999.

Trump has made the acquisition of the canal a top priority in his foreign policy, asserting that Panama allows Chinese military presence close to the canal while ignoring any evidence that it is overcharging US ships.

Trump said to reporters earlier this month, “I’m not going to commit to that,” when asked whether he would oppose using military force.

In his inaugural speech, the US president also raised the subject.

The United States Navy is one of the many examples of unfair treatment and overcharging on American ships, according to him. “And above all, China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back”.

According to the Panama Canal Authority, the agency that runs the waterway, the canal generated nearly $5bn in revenue last year.

According to Mulino, Panama has not been informed of the “alleged military presence of another country in the canal” by the US on Thursday.

“The Panama Canal is controlled by Panama, and its administration has always been in Panamanian hands”, he said.

Mulino added that Rubio and Panama have other concerns, including migration and drug trafficking, when they visit.

Panama sits at the southern tip of Central America, bordering Colombia. Panama serves as the gateway for many migrants from South America entering the US.