Panama City — US State Department accuses China of violation from panama There was another sharp clash on Wednesday over sovereignty over a port dispute in the Central American nation, with the Chinese government calling the Trump administration a hypocrite.
The most recent controversy began in early April when Rubio accused China of “bullying” after the Central American country briefly detained or detained dozens of Panama-flagged ships. Seized control of two important ports on the canal Earlier this year a Subsidiary of a Hong Kong based company. China denied the allegations.
On Tuesday, the US State Department issued a joint statement with a handful of smaller US allies in the region – Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago – saying the action was “a blatant attempt to politicize maritime trade” and that they “stand in solidarity with Panama.”
The comments come as US President Donald Trump has taken a more hawkish stance on Latin America than administrations have done in previous decades. Venezuelan President captured in overnight raid and pursuing large-scale reforms in Venezuela, implementing a oil blockade on cuba, election interference and threatening Military action against Mexican cartels.
“The sovereignty of our hemisphere is non-negotiable,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a social media post Tuesday night.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a news conference on Wednesday that the statements were “completely baseless and distort reality.”
Jian said, “Who occupied the Panama Canal for a long time, invaded Panama with its army and arbitrarily trampled on its sovereignty and dignity? Who covets the Panama Canal, wants to turn this international waterway – which is meant to remain permanently neutral – into its own territory, and disregards the sovereignty of regional countries? The answer is self-evident.”
“The one that has politicized and securitized the ports issue is the United States,” he said.
Shortly afterward, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino wrote in a statement that he appreciated the “solidarity of friendly countries” on Panamanian-flagged ships in Chinese ports, but tried to downplay rising tensions.
“We do not want to get into conflict because we value respectful relations with all countries,” he said.
The US has long been trying to compensate for China’s growing presence in Latin America. Panama, partly because of its important role in international trade along the Panama Canal, has been particularly widely held. rivalry between two superpowers after Trump accused Beijing Last year of running the international waterway.
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