In brief
The 25th anniversary of the Panama Canal’s handover highlights national pride as local officials reaffirm control against external threats.
With the recent assertion from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump regarding potential military force over the Panama Canal, Panama's Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha firmly stated, “The only hands operating the canal are Panamanian and that is how it is going to stay.” This response came after Trump falsely claimed during a news conference that the canal was being operated by Chinese forces, failing to acknowledge the historic agreement signed in 1977 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, which led to the canal's transfer to Panama on December 31, 1999.During an event at Mar-a-Lago, Trump criticized the decision to hand over the canal, proclaiming it a “big mistake.” When pressed about the possibility of using military or economic force to acquire Greenland and the canal, he refused to rule out the actions, leading to concerns in Panama over foreign domination.Martínez-Acha clarified that no offers from Trump had been presented, stressing, “Our canal's sovereignty is not negotiable and is part of our history of struggle and an irreversible conquest.” In a ceremony celebrating the canal's handover, Panama's President José Raúl Mulino assured attendees that it would “stay in our control forever” and rebuffed claims of foreign military presence, particularly emphasizing the absence of Chinese troops.“To say there are Chinese soldiers in the canal is, for the love of God, nonsense,” Mulino remarked. His government remains open to cooperation and diplomatic relations regardless of the leadership in the U.S., with an emphasis on maintaining Panama's autonomy.
