Washington/Panama City: The Panama Canal Authority has refuted claims by the U.S. State Department that U.S. government vessels would be granted passage through the canal without paying fees. The denial, issued on Wednesday, comes amid heightened tensions following former President Donald Trump’s remarks about potentially reclaiming control of the strategic waterway.
In an official statement, the Panama Canal Authority, an autonomous entity under the oversight of the Panamanian government, clarified that no changes had been made regarding crossing fees or rights. The authority emphasized that its response was directly aimed at addressing the U.S. assertion.
Earlier that day, the U.S. State Department had claimed that Panama had agreed to waive transit fees for U.S. government vessels, a decision that would reportedly save the U.S. millions of dollars annually.
“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 canal authority stated in response.
Panama has increasingly become a focal point for Trump’s policies, with the former president accusing the country of imposing excessive tariffs on vessels using the canal, which remains one of the world’s busiest trade routes.
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“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question,” Trump said last month.
Trump has also repeatedly alleged that Panama has relinquished control of the canal to China, a claim that both Panama and China have denied.
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Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino earlier this week during his tour of Central America. During the meeting, Mulino reaffirmed Panama’s decision to withdraw from China’s Belt and Road Initiative, signaling a shift in the country’s foreign policy.
Mulino has also consistently rejected Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. should reclaim control of the canal, emphasizing Panama’s sovereignty over the passage. The canal’s administration was officially transferred to Panama in 1999 following the implementation of a series of agreements signed in 1977, which outlined a gradual transition from U.S. to Panamanian control.
