US trade war moves China down Canal user ladder

After remaining in second place for many years, the trade war with the United States has moved China down to third place behind  Japan.

The biggest user of the Canal continues to be the United States, with more than 60% of the cargo transiting the interoceanic route.

With the tensions between China and the United States, liquefied natural gas that went to the Chinese market stopped flowing through the Panama Canal, reducing the cargo tonnage of the Asian country that transits  the waterway.

“More than two million tons of gas going to China have disappeared,” said Canal Administrator Jorge Luis Quijano.