Donald Trump Hints at ‘Something Powerful’ Regarding Panama Canal Takeover

Panama Canal Takeover: US President Donald Trump has once again accused Panama of letting China take control of the Panama Canal, warning that the US would either "take it back or something very powerful is going to happen."

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Monday, Trump said, "They (Panama) violated the agreement. China is running the canal, it was not given to them. It was given to Panama foolishly. But they violated the agreement, and we’re either going to take it back or something very powerful is going to happen."

Among the first tasks on returning to Whit House, newly sworn in US President Donald Trump threatened to take control of the canal, handed over to Panama in 1999 by the then US President Jimmy Carter, claiming that it is being operated by Beijing.

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Donald Trump said that he did not think troops would be necessary, but that Panama had violated the agreement and the United States would take back the canal.

“China's running the Panama Canal… it was not given to China… But they violated the agreement and we're going to take it back or something very powerful is going to happen,” Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday.

Panama to drop China's Belt and Road deal

Meanwhile, Panama has announced its withdrawal from China’s Belt and Road Initiative, confirming that it will not renew the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding tied to the global infrastructure plan. This comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met President of Panama Jose Raul Mulino on February 3.

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"I met with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino and Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez to make clear that the United States cannot, and will not, allow the Chinese Communist Party to continue with its effective and growing control over the Panama Canal area. We also discussed efforts to end the hemisphere’s mass migration crisis and ensure fair competition for US firms," Rubio said in a post on X.

After the meeting, Rubio reaffirmed Panama's sovereignty over the canal and said the waterway’s status is not up for debate. However, he also said that Panama will consider the possibility of terminating the Chinese deal early. "At present, I do not see any serious threat to the neutrality treaty or any need for military intervention,” he said.

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