The United States may demand that Panama take back control of the Panama Canal if Panama does not lower its tariffs for using it.
This was stated by the elected US President Donald Trump.
How Trump Threatened to Return the Panama Canal to the US
In a statement published on the social network Truth Social, Trump noted that the Panama Canal is the most important strategic asset of the United States.
According to him, if the legal and moral principles of transferring the canal to Panama are not observed, Washington will insist on its full return.
The US president-elect has called the tariffs Panama charges for using the canal ridiculous.
This complete rip-off of our country must stop immediately, the future head of the White House wrote.
He recalled that the transfer of the canal to Panama was a gesture of cooperation, not a concession in favor of other states.
The channel should not be a tool for the enrichment of others, Trump emphasized.
The US president-elect also expressed dissatisfaction with China's use of the canal.
The Panama Canal was built by the United States at the beginning of the 20th century.
In 1977, the United States and Panama signed an agreement to transfer the canal to Panama in stages.
The process was completed in 1999. The treaty provides for the neutrality of the canal and its accessibility to world trade.
