Panama Audits HK-Linked Canal Port Operator After Trump Threat

The Danish cargo ship Lars Maersk sails on Gatun Lake near the Agua Clara Locks of the Panama Canal in Colon City, Panama, on December 28, 2024. ARNULFO FRANCO / AFP

Panama has complained to the United Nations over U.S. President Donald Trump’s “worrying” threat to seize the Panama Canal, even as it launched an audit of the Hong Kong-linked operator of two ports on the interoceanic waterway.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the government in Panama City referred to an article of the UN Charter precluding any member from “the threat or use of force” against the territorial integrity or political independence of another.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by Agence France-Presse

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
3
Chinese Cargo Planes Secretly Ferrying Supplies to Iran, Claim Online Sleuths
4
Thailand in Last-Minute U.S. Talks as 36% Tariff Looms
5
Indonesia Goes Nuclear, Taps China and Russia for Modular Reactors
6 From J-10C to Kaan? Indonesia’s Fighter Jet Deal With Turkey Shocks Chinese Military Fans

You Might Like

Panama President Rules Out Talks With Trump Over Canal Threat

By Juan Jose Rodriguez Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino ruled out negotiations with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump over control of the Panama Canal on Thursday, denying that China was interfering in its operation. ...

Panama Canal CEO Says Trump’s Plans Would ‘Lead to Chaos’

Granting Donald Trump’s demand for U.S. ships passing through the Panama Canal to get preferential treatment would “lead to chaos,” the head of the authority running the waterway said Wednesday. “Rules are rules and there ...

Germany Calls Trump’s Vow to Take Panama Canal “Unacceptable,” Dismisses Concerns About China

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday criticized Donald Trump’s “unacceptable” pledge to seize the Panama Canal, which the returning U.S. president repeated in his inaugural address. Baerbock was asked in an interview ...

Panama Urges U.S. Not to Involve It in Disputes With China

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday asked the United States to refrain from dragging the Central American country into its “geopolitical conflict” with China. The appeal came after the U.S. embassy in ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP