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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino on February 2, 2025, that immediate changes were needed to reduce China’s control over the Panama Canal area, or the US would act. Rubio’s meeting with the Mulino was the opening stop of his first foreign trip as America’s top diplomat. The US State Department quoted Rubio as telling Mulino that new US President Donald Trump “made a preliminary determination that the current position of influence and control of the Chinese Communist Party over the Panama Canal area is a threat to the canal and represents a violation of the Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal”. The Panamanian government has denied ceding operations of the canal to China. The waterway is operated by the Panamanian government, however two ports that serve the canal are run by Hong Kong firm CK Hutchinson. Mulino said he had proposed technical-level talks with the US to address Trump's concerns about Chinese influence, but insisted that Panama would not negotiate with the US over the canal’s ownership. He also said Panama will not renew its agreement with China regarding the Belt and Road Initiative, a plan to improve Beijing’s trade and economic integration with the world.
Source: AFP, Reuters
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