FLASH NEWS
Rubio: Absurd for the US to pay tariffs when it has obligations to defend the Panama Canal in case of conflict
2025-02-07 16:23:41 / BOTA
The United States is obligated by treaty to defend the Panama Canal if it is attacked, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday, amid uncertainty and what Panama has described as "lies" that US Navy ships can pass through the canal for free.
Secretary Rubio was referring to a treaty signed by the United States and Panama in 1977.
" It seems absurd to me that we have to pay transit fees in an area that we are obliged to protect in cases of conflict. These are our expectations... and they have understood this clearly in the conversations we have had ," Mr. Rubio said during a press conference in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.
On Sunday, Secretary Rubio held talks with Panamanian President Jose Raúl Mulino in the country's capital, Panama City.
The top US diplomat said that while Washington respects Panama's democratically elected government and acknowledges that it has "a process of laws and procedures that it must follow," the obligations arising from the treaty "will have to be enforced by the armed forces of the United States, particularly the US Navy."
The United States' goal is a peaceful solution, Secretary Rubio said.
In a post on the social network X, Mr. Mulino wrote that he planned to talk to President Donald Trump on Friday afternoon.
On Wednesday, in a post on the social media platform X, the US State Department said that US government ships can now transit the Panama Canal without paying tolls. This saves the US government millions of dollars a year.
But the Panama Canal Authority, an independent agency overseen by the Panamanian government, disputed the US claims, saying it had made no changes to the tariffs.
On the other hand, the authority's officials expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue with American officials.
During his weekly press conference on Thursday, the Panamanian president denied that his country had reached an agreement allowing US warships to pass through the Panama Canal for free. He said he completely contradicted the State Department's statement.
China's One Belt One Road Initiative
Mr. Mulino told reporters that the Panamanian Embassy in Beijing had notified China 90 days in advance, as contractually required, of its decision to withdraw from the Belt and Road Initiative.
He denied that the decision was made at the request of Washington, saying he was taking time to assess Panama's relations with China and decide what best served his country's interests.
" I don't know what motivated the person who signed the agreement with China ," said Mr. Mulino, adding that he did not think the Belt and Road Initiative had brought great benefits to his country.
Panama became part of the Chinese infrastructure project under former President Juan Carlos Varela. The agreement was signed in 2018, following Panama's decision in 2017 to establish diplomatic relations with China and sever ties with Taiwan.
Secretary Rubio welcomed Panama's decision to withdraw from the Belt and Road Initiative.
China describes the project, which began in 2013 under President Xi Jinping, as a vast infrastructure initiative that aims to connect multiple continents through land and sea routes.
The United States says the project is driven by China's mission to manipulate and undermine the rules-based global trading system for its own benefit.
In Beijing, Chinese officials accused the United States of irresponsible comments regarding the Panama Canal issue and accused Washington of deliberately distorting, attacking and misrepresenting China-Panama cooperation.
" China firmly opposes (Washington's positions) and has sent a strong note of protest to the US side ," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian.
While in Santo Domingo, Secretary Rubio met with Dominican President Luis Abinader and Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez.
The Dominican Republic was the last stop on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's tour of five Central American and Caribbean countries.
During meetings with officials there, Mr. Rubio focused on curbing illegal immigration, the fight against drug trafficking and China's growing influence in the Western Hemisphere. /VOA
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