The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, stated that China has never interfered in the management of the Panama Canal and has always respected the sovereignty of the Central American country over this infrastructure. For his part, Donald Trump claimed that U.S. ships pay high toll fees and are not treated fairly, to which the Panamanian government has responded by refuting such allegations.
The Panama Canal, an 82-kilometer waterway through which approximately 3% of global trade transits, was constructed by the United States and was managed by this country until it was handed over to Panama on December 31, 1999. The transfer took place 25 years ago thanks to the Torrijos-Carter Treaties signed in 1977 in Washington.
In another context, the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced that she will call her Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, highlighting the unity in Latin America in the face of Donald Trump's return to the White House. Sheinbaum expressed her commitment to the welfare of the Mexican people and the defense of Mexicans, reaffirming her Government's willingness to welcome compatriots deported from the United States and collaborate with other countries in the region on migration issues.
Sheinbaum has held talks with leaders from Latin America, such as Xiomara Castro from Honduras, and has expressed Mexico's intention to directly support migrants repatriated from the United States. The Mexican president has made it clear that her priority is to safeguard the interests of Mexico, although there are also agreements and disagreements with the United States on various issues.
