Trump insists he wants to buy Greenland and now also wants to regain control of the Panama Canal

BarcelonaA new premature diplomatic conflict has erupted for the incoming Trump administration even before it takes office in the United States. Just days after President-elect Donald Trump angered Canada by suggesting it should become the 51st state, he angered Panama—and its allies—this Sunday by threatening to reclaim US control over the Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He did so on the same day he posted a message on his Truth Social account that reiterated his previous stance. to threaten to buy GreenlandJust as he did during his first term.

In a speech in Arizona, Trump accused Panama of charging excessive fees for using the waterway: "They are ripping us off in the Panama Canal just like they are ripping us off everywhere," he said, and warned that he would not allow the Canal to fall "into the hands of the elite." Trump recalled that the Canal belonged to the United States in the past and "was given to Panama and to the people of Panama" (in 1999), but warned that this donation included some "conditions." "If the principles, both moral and legal, of that magnanimous act of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in its entirety, quickly and without question," he said. Shortly afterward, Trump posted an image on his social media account, Truth Social, showing an American flag flying over a narrow waterway with the slogan: "Welcome to the United States Canal!"

Trump's words have outraged both Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and China, who quickly responded to defend Panamanian sovereignty over the Canal. In a recorded message posted on Twitter, the Panamanian president responded that Panama's "sovereignty and independence are not negotiable" and that the donation of the Canal to its people is "irreversible." He also emphasized that China has no influence whatsoever on the administration of the Canal, nor does the European Union, the United States, or any other international actor: "I reject any statement that distorts this reality." Mulino defended the transit fees charged by Panama, saying they were not set "arbitrarily." "As President of Panama, I want to express that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its surroundings belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to it," Mulino said in his televised statement. But Trump himself responded to Mulino's video with a message on Twitter saying, "We'll see about that."

China has also responded to Trump, and on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated at a press conference that the Panama Canal "is a great creation of the Panamanian people" and that China "will always respect" Panama's sovereignty. China does not control or manage the Canal, but a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings operates two ports located at the Canal's Caribbean and Pacific entrances. The United States largely constructed the Canal and administered the surrounding territory for decades. The first agreements between the United States and Panama were signed in 1977, and finally, in 1999, Washington relinquished full control of the Canal to Panama after a period of joint administration. The Panama Canal, through which up to 14,000 ships pass annually and which accounts for 2.5% of global maritime trade, is crucial for U.S. imports of automobiles and for commercial goods arriving from Asia on container ships, as well as for U.S. gas exports.

Trump: "Owning Greenland is an absolute necessity"

There is no basis in international law that would allow Trump to carry out this threat and regain control of the Canal, nor for other threats he has made in the past, such as making Canada the 51st state of the United States or buying Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. However, the president-elect insisted on the latter idea this past Sunday. On his social media account, Truth Social, he announced his ambassador to Denmark, Ken Howery, with the following statement: "For the purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America considers ownership and control of Greenland an absolute necessity."

The response from the autonomous territory of Denmark was also swift. "Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and we never will be. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom," said the island's prime minister, Múte Egede, this Monday.