Sat Jan 11 05:06:59 UTC 2025: ## Panama Canal Administrator Rejects Trump’s Call for US Takeover
**Panama City, January 11, 2025** – The administrator of the Panama Canal, Ricaurte Vásquez, firmly rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s assertions that the United States should reclaim control of the vital waterway. Vásquez dismissed Trump’s claims that China is controlling canal operations, stating that Chinese companies involved are part of a Hong Kong consortium that won a bidding process in 1997, and that US and Taiwanese companies also operate ports along the canal.
Trump has suggested the US might need to use military force to retake control, citing “ridiculous” fees and claiming the US was “ripped off” by relinquishing control in 1999. He has also voiced concerns about China’s influence.
Vásquez countered that the canal operates under a neutrality treaty, prohibiting preferential treatment for any nation, except for expedited passage for American warships. He emphasized that the canal remains open to all countries and that the current fee structure is uniform and transparent, with any increases subject to a public comment process. Recent fee increases, he explained, were implemented due to reduced capacity resulting from a recent drought.
Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino has also categorically stated that the canal will remain under Panamanian control. Vásquez described Trump’s suggestion of a US takeover as baseless. Despite approximately 70% of the canal’s traffic involving US ports, Vásquez stressed the importance of upholding the established rules and maintaining the canal’s neutrality to prevent chaos.
First Piper 