Panama Canal will stay in our hands, minister tells Trump

Panama says the canal's sovereignty is "non-negotiable" after Trump refuses to rule out military force to seize it.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersPanama Canal will stay in our hands, minister tells TrumpGettyPanama celebrated the 25th anniversary of the handover of the Panama Canal just over a week agoPanama has insisted that its sovereignty over the Panama Canal is "non-negotiable" after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out military force to seize it.

Trump made the remark during a news conference on Tuesday at which he also falsely stated that the Panama Canal was being operated by Chinese soldiers.

Panama's Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha responded by saying that "the only hands operating the canal are Panamanian and that is how it is going to stay".

The Panama Canal was managed by the US for decades but under a treaty signed by the late US President Jimmy Carter in 1977, it was handed over to the Panamanians on 31 December 1999.

In his news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Trump described President Carter's decision to hand the canal back as "a big mistake".

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79191d9xreo

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