Panama City, – Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino strongly refuted U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that his administration was “reclaiming” the Panama Canal, calling the statement misleading and an affront to Panama’s sovereignty.
Trump’s remarks, made during his address to Congress, referred to a recently announced deal in which a consortium led by U.S. investment management firm BlackRock Inc. acquired a controlling stake in a company previously owned by a Hong Kong-based group that operates ports at both ends of the Panama Canal.
The Panamanian government maintains that the canal remains fully under Panama’s control and that the Hong Kong-based consortium’s port operations did not constitute Chinese control over the waterway. Officials emphasized that the sale of these assets to a U.S.-based company was a private business transaction and did not signify any form of U.S. reclamation of the canal.
Mulino Condemns Trump’s Statement
In a statement posted on social media platform X, President Mulino firmly rejected Trump’s characterization of the deal, denying that it resulted from U.S. pressure.
“I reject, on behalf of Panama and all Panamanians, this new affront to the truth and our dignity as a nation,” Mulino wrote, accusing Trump of “lying again.”
Trump has repeatedly raised the issue of the Panama Canal, arguing since his campaign that the United States should never have relinquished control and that it faces excessive charges for its use.
In early February, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Mulino and expressed concerns over alleged Chinese influence in the canal’s operations, specifically regarding the Hong Kong-based consortium managing the ports. Panama, however, has consistently denied any foreign interference in the canal’s administration.
“Cooperation between our governments must be based on mutual understanding and shared interests,” Mulino stated. “This has nothing to do with ‘reclaiming the canal’ or undermining our national sovereignty.”
BlackRock-Led Consortium Acquires Hutchison Port Holdings
In a regulatory filing, CK Hutchison Holdings announced on Tuesday that it would sell its shares in Hutchison Port Holdings and Hutchison Port Group Holdings to the BlackRock-led consortium in a deal valued at approximately $23 billion, including $5 billion in debt.
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