Who owns the Panama Canal and what does Trump want? | Panama

Here's what you need to know.

What is the Panama Canal?

The canal is a major waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, allowing maritime travelers to avoid an additional 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) around the tip of South America.

The 82 km canal passes through the middle of Panama, a country occupying the strip of land between Central and South America.

As of September 30, nearly 10,000 ships passed through the canal, carrying 423 million tons, including food, minerals and manufactured goods. More than 40% of consumer goods traded last year between Northeast Asia and the U.S. East Coast were transported through the canal.

The United States is the canal's largest customer, responsible for about three-quarters of the goods passing through it each year, while China is the second-largest customer.

Panama Canal Location MapWho owns the canal?

The government of Panama has owned and operated the canal through a dedicated agency, the Panama Canal Authority, for 25 years.

The United States operated the canal during the 20th century, taking control of the canal zone and beginning construction in 1904 after helping Panama gain independence from Colombia. The canal opened in 1914, revolutionizing global shipping and allowing the passage of thousands of American cargo ships and battleships each year.

American control of the canal and the exclusion of Panamanians created tensions between local residents and American visitors, prompting authorities to build a wall between Panama City and the canal zone in the 1950s.

On January 9, 1964, a major demonstration broke out and 28 people were killed in the ensuing crackdown by authorities, provoking international outrage and encouraging American strategists to abandon the canal. In 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos signed two treaties aimed at phasing out U.S. control over the canal.

After a period of joint administration, marked by a US invasion in 1989 aimed at overthrowing military leader Manuel Noriega, Panama took full control of the canal in 1999.

What does Trump want with this?

Trump has demanded that Panama return the canal to the United States unless it manages the waterway in a way it finds acceptable.

The U.S. president-elect took issue with what he called exorbitant rates charged to the U.S. government, Navy and businesses for using the passage.

The fees Panama charges are ridiculous, he wrote. This total scam of our country will stop immediately.

Ships using the canal must pay fees set by the canal authority. Variable rates have soared in recent years amid drought worsened by global warming, which is drying up critical reservoirs and reducing canal capacity.

Due to the severe drought in late 2023, only 22 ships passed through the canal each day instead of the usual 36, forcing ships to queue for weeks or pay up to $4 million ($3.2 million ) to move forward. Transits fell by almost a third in the year to last September.

The canal authority has allowed an increasing number of ships to use the canal during 2024, reducing traffic jams, but will increase tariffs and introduce additional fees on January 1, 2025. Panama President Jos Ral Mulino said declared that canal transit charges were not inflated.

Trump also warned that he would not let the canal fall into the wrong hands and appeared to suggest that China had influence there. A Hong Kong-based Chinese company controls two of the five ports adjacent to the canal, one on each side, but Mulino said Panama has full control of the canal.

Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas is part of Panama, and it will continue to be, he said in a video statement on Sunday.

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