Panama Denies US Claims Regarding Free Canal Passages
Marco Rubio stated “When I was there on Sunday February 2, the ship just over my shoulder, was a cargo ship from Hong Kong, so its presence, not only in the Canal, but throughout Panama, is very worrying.” As it turns out, the ship was not from Hong Kong. It was the Panamanian-flagged vessel GAS Ares, belonging to a South Korean company.
PANAMA CITY, Feb 6 – The Panama Canal Authority said in a statement late on Wednesday that it had not made any changes to charges or rights to cross the canal, after the U.S. State Department said that U.S. government vessels could transit the crossing without being subject to such fees. “With total responsibility, the Panama Canal Authority, as it has indicated, is willing to establish dialogue with relevant U.S. officials regarding the transit of wartime vessels from said country,” the authority said. While Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino reportedly assured Marco Rubio that U.S. Navy vessels or Warships would enjoy free passage, the canal authority’s statement appears to contradict the commitment but the US media began stating that all US ships would receive free passage.
The Panama Canal has sat at the center of global trade for more than a century, connecting two oceans. The things Americans use every day pass through here, from gas to food. And now, this spot is also at the center of President Trump’s global expansionist agenda. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has just wrapped up a trip to Panama where he told the President that if China’s influence over the canal isn’t curbed the United States will take measures to protect its rights. Trump’s threat to take back the Panama Canal has the potential to reshuffle global politics.
The facts are clear. Panama has denied making changes to allow US government vessels to transit the Panama Canal for free, following White House claims it had agreed to such a move. The US State Department said in a statement on X that its government vessels “can now transit the Panama Canal without paying fees, saving the US government millions of dollars a year”. Responding to the comments, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) said it was “empowered to set tolls and other fees for transiting the canal,” adding that it had “not made any adjustments to them”. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced his desire to retake control of the waterway, a key to global trade. Trump will speak with Panamanian President Mulino on Friday at 3pm by telephone to clarify.
The 51-mile (82km) Panama Canal cuts across the Central American nation and is the main link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is visiting Latin American countries this week, demanded that Panama make “immediate changes” to what he calls the “influence and control” of China over the canal. America’s top diplomat said Panama had to act or the US would take necessary measures to protect its rights under a treaty between the two countries. During a visit to the country, Rubio met Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino, as well as the canal’s administrator, Ricaurte Vásquez Morales. The ACP said after his visit that it had conveyed its intention to work with the US navy to optimize transit priority for its vessels through the canal. This commitment for dialogue with Washington remained, it said in a separate statement on Wednesday.
