Panama’s Mulino Shuts Down Trump’s Canal Takeover Talk Ahead of Rubio Visit

By Elida Moreno

PANAMA CITY, Jan 30 (Reuters) – Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday ruled out discussing control over the Panama Canal in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is set to visit the Central American country in his first official trip abroad this weekend.

Mulino’s comments during a weekly press conference come after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to take control of the canal, claiming it is being operated by China. The Panamanian government strongly denies the accusation.

“I cannot negotiate and much less open a process of negotiation on the canal,” Mulino said. “That is sealed. The canal belongs to Panama.”

The canal, an 82-km (51-mile) artificial waterway that connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and is key to global …