Granting special treatment to American ships would violate international law, Ricaurte Vasquez Morales told the Wall Street Journal
Meeting US President-elect Donald Trump’s demand for American ships passing through the Panama Canal to get preferential treatment would “lead to chaos,” the head of the authority running the waterway has told the Wall Street Journal.
Trump recently claimed that the US is “being ripped off at the Panama Canal,” questioning the fees charged for American vessels and alleging Chinese influence in its operations. The president-elect suggested that Washington will seek to regain control over the waterway, even refusing to rule out using military action to take it.
“Rules are rules, and there are no exceptions,” said Ricaurte Vasquez Morales, CEO of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), an autonomous government agency.
“We cannot discriminate for the Chinese, or the Americans, or anyone else. This will violate the neutrality treaty, international law and it will lead to chaos,” Vasquez Morales said in an interview with the WSJ.
Vasquez Morales also refuted Trump’s assertions that China is “running the Canal” as “unfounded.”
“China has no involvement whatsoever in our operations,” he said.
The Panama Canal, a crucial route for global shipping, handles about 6% of worldwide trade. Built by the US in the early 20th century, the canal was transferred to Panama under the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, signed in 1977.
A Chinese company, Hutchison Whampoa (now CK Hutchison Holdings), has been operating two ports near either end of the canal since the late 1990s. The ports are distinct from the canal itself, which is managed by the ACP.
The ACP adheres to strict neutrality agreements ensuring equal access to vessels of all nations.
Panama’s president, Jose Raul Mulino, recently reaffirmed the nation’s sovereignty over the canal in response to Trump’s remarks.
“Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas belongs to Panama and will continue belonging to Panama,” Mulino said in a video posted on X late last month.
He added that the tariffs are not set “on a whim,” but rather reflect Panama’s efforts to accommodate increased ship traffic.
