Panama has lodged a complaint with the United Nations over US President Donald Trump’s “worrying” threat to seize the Panama Canal. At the same time, it is simultaneously launching 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 Panamanian government cited a UN Charter article prohibiting any member from threatening or using force against another’s territorial integrity or political independence.
The letter, distributed to reporters on Tuesday, urges Guterres to refer the matter to the UN Security Council without requesting a meeting, as reported by AFP. In his inaugural address on Monday, Trump reiterated his complaint that China was effectively “operating” the Panama Canal through its growing presence around the waterway, which the United States handed over at the end of 1999.
“We didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama. And we’re taking it back,” Trump said.
In response, the Panamanian comptroller’s office announced “an exhaustive audit” of the Panama Ports Company, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings subsidiary. The company operates the ports of Balboa and Cristobal on either end of the canal. The audit aims to ensure the efficient and transparent use of public resources and determine whether the company complies with its concession agreements, including adequate reporting of income, payments, and contributions to the state.
Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino denied that any other nation was interfering in the canal, emphasizing its operation on a principle of neutrality. “The canal is and will remain Panama’s,” Mulino said in response to Trump’s threats.
Trump has intensified his focus on the canal, which handles 40 per cent of US container shipments, and has not dismissed military intervention as an option for reclaiming it. The Panama Ports Company’s operating agreement received a 25-year extension in 2021.
The United States remains the primary canal user, with China in second place. Since 2000, the waterway has generated over $30 billion for Panama’s government, including approximately $2.5 billion in the previous fiscal year.
