By Gram Slattery
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday accused Panama of charging excessive taxes for the use of the Panama Canal and said that if Panama did not manage the canal in an acceptable manner, he would need an ally. it's finished.
In an evening post on Social Truth, Trump warned that he would not allow the canal to fall into the “wrong hands,” and appeared to warn of potential Chinese influence in the corridor, writing the canal should not be controlled by China.
The post was an extremely rare example of a US leader saying he could push a sovereign country to cede territory. It also underscores the expected shift in US diplomacy under Trump, who has historically not shied away from threatening allies and using bellicose rhetoric when dealing with allies.
The United States largely built a canal and administrative zone around this crossing over decades. But the US government gave up full control of the Panama Canal in 1999 after a period of joint administration.
“The fees paid by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the incredible hospitality extended to Panama by the US,” Trump wrote in his Social Truth report.
“It was not given for the benefit of others, but just as a sign of cooperation with us and Panama. If the principles, moral and legal, of this great act of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in full, unequivocally.
The Panamanian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.