China Says the Canal is ‘A Creation of Panama’ and Supports Panamanian Sovereignty Over It

China said Monday that the Panama Canal “is a great creation of the Panamanian people” and that it will “always respect” Panama’s sovereignty over it, in reference to the threat by the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, that he could demand the return of the infrastructure to the North American country.  Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press conference on Monday, December 23, that her country “has always respected the just struggle of the Panamanian people for sovereignty” over the transport route.  Mao recalled that “large-scale demonstrations took place in China as early as the 1960s to show strong support for the people of Panama.” 

“We believe that, under the efficient management of Panama, the canal will continue to make new contributions to facilitating integration and exchanges between different countries,” added the spokesperson, while referring to the statements of Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, who declared that “every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama.”  Trump, who will be sworn in as US president on January 20, complained on Saturday and Sunday about the “exorbitant” tariffs and the management of the Panama Canal, and threatened to demand their “return” if “moral and legal” principles are not respected.  Mulino said on Sunday that the interoceanic canal “is Panamanian and will continue to be so.”  The Panama Canal was built by the United States, which opened it in 1914 and administered it until its transfer to the Panamanian State on December 31, 1999, as established in the Torrijos-Carter Treaties signed on September 7, 1977 in Washington by Omar Torrijos (1929-1981), and Jimmy Carter (1977-1981).