PANAMA CITY, Feb 1 — Some U.S. lawmakers and officials are touting a nearly half-century-old treaty between the United States and Panama to justify the Trump administration’s...
Is Panama violating a half-century-old US neutrality treaty by allowing Chinese firms near the canal?
President Donald Trump vowed to take back the world’s second largest interoceanic waterway during his Jan. 20 inauguration speech, falsely claiming that China is operating it. He has complained about the canal’s tolls, as well as the presence of Chinese and Hong Kong-based firms in Panama. The US$1.3 billion bridge, being built by a consortium between state-controlled firms China Communications Construction Company and China Harbour Engineering Company, is expected to be completed by 2026 after delays and contract amendments.
“Hutchison Port Holdings operates hundreds of ports around the world, including in the U.S... If these ports threaten U.S. security, why don’t they terminate Hutchison’s contracts in their country?” Julio Yao, one of Panama’s advisors when it signed the neutrality treaty, wrote in a recent op-ed published in a local newspaper.Yao, a specialist in international relations, said arguments for an intervention are based on amendments in 1978 by the U.S. Senate to guarantee the U.S.
In the fiscal year that ended in September, the canal reported a 5 per cent decline in its toll revenue to $3.18 billion following a severe drought. But between 2020 and 2023, the canal’s toll revenue had increased almost 26 per cent, its annual reports showed.
1977 Panama Canal Neutrality Treaty Donald Trump Federal Maritime Commission
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