Panama Complains to UN Over Trump Canal Threat, Starts Audit

Our financial results, audited by an independent external auditor, have been shared annually with our partner, the Panamanian State, ensuring trust and clarity in our management,

the firm added

China does not operate or control the Panama Canal,

said Chavez

The channel is of enormous value to the United States, both commercially and strategically,

Gedan said,

Only the fabrication of a false flag operation... could justify the use of military force in Panama"

said Tapia

There are reasonable concerns related to the presence of a Chinese company,

Benjamin Gedan, director of the Washington-based Wilson Center´s Latin America program, told AFP

He (Trump) is definitely trying to frighten Panama,

said University of Essex international relations expert Natasha Lindstaedt

Panama has honored the canal treaties by maintaining the canal's operations efficiently and ensuring its neutrality."

According to Rebecca Bill Chavez of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank

Panama is not distracted by this type of pronouncements,

he added, underscoring his belief that the canal's status as a crucial asset to Panama is secure and unchallenged

At the dawn of our independence with Colombia, the Panama Canal was established,

he added

Neither one (none) of those terms has been violated. So, I am not sure why Mr. Trump thinks the agreement has been violated,

said Martinez Machain

The accusations that China is running the canal are unfounded,

Ricaurte Vasquez Moralez, the head of the Panama Canal Authority, recently told the Wall Street Journal .

And only about 300 were Americans,

he said

The canal is not directly or indirectly controlled by any major power,

she stressed

We reject in its entirety everything that Mr Trump has said. First because it is false and second because the Panama Canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama,

Mulino said Wednesday

Mao Ning (diplomat)chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson

China has always respected Panama's sovereignty over the canal and recognized the canal as a permanent neutral international waterway,

foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said

We remain steadfast in our commitment to comply with all laws and regulations, fully exercising our contractual responsibilities,

the firm said

One cannot skip over public international law to impose criteria,

he said

We didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama. And we’re taking it back,

Trump declared

China does not participate in the management and operation of the canal and has never interfered in the affairs of the canal.”

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing said

The canal is and will remain Panama's,

Mulino declared in light of President Trump’s threats