Under pressure from the United States to reduce China's influence on the Panama Canal, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino announced on Thursday (February 2) that the Panamanian embassy in China has officially notified Beijing of Panama's decision to withdraw from China's "Belt and Road" infrastructure project.
According to AFP, Murino told reporters that the Panamanian Embassy in Beijing has informed China of Panama's decision to withdraw from the "Belt and Road" initiative, which will take effect in 90 days.
In addition, the US State Department claimed on Wednesday (5th) that the Panamanian government has agreed that US government ships can pass through the Panama Canal free of charge, but Murino refuted the US statement on the same day, calling it "absolutely false" and criticizing that diplomatic relations based on false information are "intolerable." The Panama Canal Authority has also refuted the US State Department's claim that US government ships will have free passage through the canal.
｜Extended reading:Trump's policy works again: US ships exempt from Panama Canal tolls
｜Extended reading:A slap in the face to Washington? Panama Canal Authority denies free passage for US government ships
According to previous reports, after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ended his visit to Panama, the U.S. State Department publicly stated on social media platform X on the 5th that the Panamanian government has agreed to no longer charge tolls to U.S. government ships, saving the United States millions of dollars each year.
