US Calls for Support to Panama's Sovereignty

JAKARTA - The United States on Tuesday led a group of regional countries in a joint call to support Panama in its dispute with China over the Panama Canal, calling Beijing's actions a threat to them all.

The United States led a joint statement from most right-leaning countries, such as Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay as well as Trinidad and Tobago.

China's actions "are a blatant attempt to politicize maritime trade and violate the sovereignty of countries in our hemisphere," said a statement released by the US State Department.

"Panama is a pillar of our maritime trade system, and must therefore remain free from undue external pressure," he said, launching Al Arabiya from AFP (29/4).

"Any attempt to undermine Panama's sovereignty is a threat to us all," he said.

Panama took control of two ports (the Balboa Terminal and the Cristobal Terminal flanking the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the Panama Canal) previously operated by a Hong Kong-based conglomerate on a vital route for global trade, following a January ruling by Panama's Supreme Court.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month slammed China for allegedly detaining two Panama-flagged vessels in response to the takeover.

China itself threatened Panama with retaliation but denied holding the ships, accusing the United States of fabricating.

US President Donald Trump, who returned to office last year, promised to regain US control over the Panama Canal, which was handed over in an agreement reached by the Jimmy Carter administration in 1978 with a narrow Senate approval, as well as critical of the importance of the canal for the security of the Uncle Sam's country.

After Panama's moves against the Hong Kong-based company, President Trump declared victory and the canal issue largely disappeared as a bilateral issue between them.

In last year's national security strategy, the Trump administration pledged to aggressively promote US interests in Latin America against foreign powers led by China.