Panama channel deprives us of a free traffic for government ships Donald Trump News

The Panama Channel Authority says it is ready to conduct a dialogue with Washington, DC, in terms of cross -wart -time.

The Panama Channel Authority denied that the US State Department claims that an agreement had been reached to allow government ships to the United States to cross the channel without paying fees, most likely increasing tensions after that President Donald Trump He threatened to regain control of the water channel that connects the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.

In a statement on Wednesday, the channel, an independent agency supervised by the Panamanian government, said that it had not made any changes to the traffic fees or the channels of the channel, adding that its statement was a direct response to the demands of the United States.

She said: “The Panama Channel Authority, which is enabled by setting the fees and other fees to transmit the channel, reports that no modifications were made to it.”

But she stated that she is still ready to conduct a dialogue with the American authorities “with regard to passing ships in wartime from the aforementioned country.”

Panama became The central point of the Trump administration Since the president has accused the state in Central America of sponsoring excessive prices to use its trade clip, which is one of the most crowded areas in the world.

Earlier on Wednesday, the US State Department said that the Panama government has no longer agreed to not charge the graphics of the transit fees for American government ships, a step that would save the American millions.

“The US government ships can now transfer the Panama channel without fees, which saves millions of dollars in the US government a year,” said the Foreign Ministry on the social media platform X.

This was the first public announcement of the promises that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio alluded to, who said concessions were made during his visit to Panama on Sunday.

Since winning the US elections in November, Trump refused to exclude the use of force to seize the channel, which has been going through 40 percent of the traffic in US containers.

In his opening speech in January, Trump said that the United States would “return” the channel – which France began in 1881 but completed in 1914. Washington handed over the channel’s control to Panama in 1999 according to the treaties that took place in 1977.

Trump has repeatedly said that the channel will be returned to the United States “completely, and without a question” if there is no agreement.

At the same time, Panama was also accused of giving up controlling the channel to China, which Panama and China denied.

During his journey Panama, Rubio Holding talks with Panamian President Jose Raul MulinoWho later promised to withdraw from the Belt and Road Initiative in China.

MULINO also ordered a review of Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings, which is based in Hong Kong, which runs the main ports around the channel.

The company was awarded a privilege in 1997, which was extended for 25 years in 2021, despite the increasing concern in Washington, where China has tightened political control over Hong Kong.

However, Mulino rejected Trump’s threat that the United States would regain control of the channel.