His rhetoric will impact economic interactions.
China has voiced its support for Panama to retain control of the Panama Canal, after President-elect Donald Trump threatened to bring the vital trade route back under U.S. control.
A spokesperson for the Chinese government said it fully backed the Panamanian government in rejecting Trump’s calls to lower tariffs on U.S. ships passing through the route.
Newsweek contacted the Trump transition team as well as the Chinese embassy for comment via email.
Republicans have increasingly voiced discontent over China’s growing influence in the region surrounding the Panama Canal. China controls two of Panama’s five principal zone ports, and is responsible for large parts of the canal’s infrastructure, with Chinese firms funding the construction of a new bridge over the canal to the tune of over $1 billion.
Several Trump allies highlighted the statement as evidence that China was controlling the Panamanian decision, with former Congressman Matt Gaetz writing on social media, “We aren’t taking the canal back from Panama. We are taking it back from China.”
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