What did US Presindent mean by saying “We didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama. And we’re taking it back” ?

US President Donald Trump says in his inauguration speech that he will take back the Panama Canal.

Panama gained full control of the canal in 1999. Prior to that, Panama and the US had jointly operated the canal.

In his speech, Trump claims that China has increased its control over the canal.

“We didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama. And we’re taking it back,” Trump says in the speech.

The Panama Canal is a man-made lock canal that allows ships to cross through Central America from the Atlantic to the Pacific and vice versa.

If the canal didn’t exist, ships would be forced to sail around the tip of South America.

The United States largely built the Panama Canal in the early 1900s, and the US managed the area around the canal for decades.

In 1977, the US and Panama signed an agreement that paved the way for control of the canal to pass completely to Panama.

Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire for the US to regain control of the Panama Canal. He has also reiterated his desire for Greenland to become part of the US.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino says the Panama Canal “is and will continue to be Panamanian”.

He said this in a statement on X, reports Reuters.

Trump does not mention Greenland during his inauguration speech on Monday.

However, he has previously said that he will not rule out use of economic or military force to gain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland.

“No, I can’t promise anything in relation to those two, but I can say this: We need them for our economic security,” Trump said in a press conference on Jan. 7.

He has also said that he is considering imposing a special tariff on Danish goods if Denmark does not agree to sell Greenland to the US.

Since then, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has had a 45-minute telephone conversation with Trump.

After the talk, Frederiksen said that Trump has not withdrawn his threat of punitive tariffs on Danish goods.

“It has been suggested by the US that a situation could unfortunately arise where we work less together than we do today in the economic area. This is not something we recommend in any way, shape or form,” said Frederiksen after a meeting with the Danish Foreign Policy Committee on Thursday.

Trump has accused Panama of demanding excessive tariffs from US ships sailing through the canal. He has also claimed that Chinese soldiers control the waterway.

Mulino has emphasized that the Panama Canal belongs to Panama and that the country’s sovereignty is not up for discussion.

English edit by Daniel Frank Christensen