Overview
- U.S. Acting Ambassador Dorothy Shea warned of “disproportionate” Chinese influence over canal operations, citing risks to Panama, the U.S., and global trade security.
- Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong rejected U.S. accusations as unfounded and insisted Beijing respects Panama’s legal sovereignty and the canal’s permanent neutrality.
- President José Raúl Mulino, presiding over the council session, emphasized the canal’s neutrality under the Torrijos–Carter treaties as essential for uninterrupted international commerce.
- Interpol Secretary-General Valdecy Urquiza cautioned that maritime crime and emerging AI-enabled cyberattacks on ports pose growing threats to canal security.
- Washington is also pressing a Hong Kong–based port operator to divest its canal holdings to a U.S. consortium including BlackRock Inc. and has expanded American troop access under a security pact that ignited protests in Panama City.