Trump calls for 'military options' to control Panama Canal
The Pentagon has reportedly been ordered to provide “credible” plans to ensure US access to the vital waterway.
According to RT, CNN and NBC, President Donald Trump has instructed the US military to develop plans to “protect” the Panama Canal from what they consider Chinese influence, after repeatedly threatening to “take back” and “reclaim” the waterway.
The Panama Canal, a vital shipping route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, has been under Panamanian control since 1999 under the Torrijos-Carter Treaty, which stipulates that the canal remains neutral and open to all nations. Trump has repeatedly threatened to take back control of the waterway, citing “unreasonable fees” and concerns about China’s growing presence in the region.
Earlier this year, Mr Trump refused to rule out the use of military force to take control of the canal, saying all options were on the table to protect US economic and national security interests.
In an Interim Strategic Defense Guidance obtained by CNN on March 13, the White House formally asked the Pentagon to “immediately” develop options to ensure unrestricted US access to the canal.
“Provide credible military options to ensure equitable and unimpeded U.S. military and commercial access to the Panama Canal,” one of the directives is said to have said.
The US Southern Command is currently developing potential plans ranging from a close “partnership” with Panamanian security forces to a scenario in which the US military seizes the canal by force, according to unnamed officials cited by NBC. Reuters sources also said the Pentagon has been ordered to study military options to ensure US access to the waterway.
Panamanian officials have previously firmly rejected Mr Trump's claims and threats, while the Panama Canal Authority has maintained that the canal is entirely Panamanian-run, with no evidence that China controls the route.
President Jose Raul Mulino has declared the canal part of Panama’s “inalienable property” and stressed that the country retains full control over its operation. However, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally delivered President Trump’s ultimatum to Panama in February, Mulino caved to Washington by refusing to renew 2017 agreements with China under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
