“Panama is a sovereign territory and the canal here is Panamanian,” said Saul Mendez, the leader of a construction union that jointly organized the protest.
“Donald Trump and his imperial delusion cannot claim even a single centimeter of land in Panama,” Mendez added.
Trump on Saturday slammed what he called unfair fees for US ships passing through the Panama Canal and hinted at China’s growing influence.
If Panama could not ensure “the secure, efficient and reliable operation” of the channel, “then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question,” he said.
The status of the canal is non-negotiable, President Jose Raul Mulino said in a statement Monday signed alongside former leaders of the Central American country.
© 2024 AFP
