U.S. President Donald Trump has called forno-charge transit for American commercial and military ships through the Panama and Suez canals, tasking his secretary of state with making progress “immediately,” reportsThe Guardian.
“American ships, both military and commercial, should be allowed to travel, free of charge, through the Panama and Suez canals!” Trump posted on Saturday. While Trump has for months been calling for the United States to take control of the Panama Canal, claiming it is being operated under Chinese control, this shift to focus on to the Suez Canal is new.
Trump claimed both routes would “not exist” without the U.S. and said he had asked his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, to “immediately take care of” the situation.
The Panamanian president, Jose Raul Mulino, without directly referencing Trump said on April 26 that toll fees were regulated by thePanama Canal Authority(ACP), an autonomous governing body that oversees the trade route. “There is no agreement to the contrary.”
The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said during a visit to Panama City earlier in April that the U.S. was seeking an agreement under which its warships could pass through the canal “first, and free.” He also saidU.S. troops might return to Panamato “secure” its strategically vital canal, an idea that was quickly rejected by Panama’s government.
The U.S. and China are two of the top users of the canal.
Egypt’s Suez Canal accounted for about 10% of global maritime trade before attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
