Committee on Freight Policy Examines Panama Canal Operations
Trump Proposes US Control at Inaugural Address; Panamanian President Rejects Remarks
Cargo ships on the Panama Canal in 2023. Shandong Shipping is a Chinese state-owned shipping company. (Walter Hurtado/Bloomberg News)
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A Senate panel on Jan. 28 took aim at China’s involvement with operations at the Panama Canal and examined President Donald Trump’s economic strategy linked to travel by U.S. ships through the facility.
Republican leadership on the Commerce Committee on freight policy echoed Trump’s concerns specific to China’s role at the canal.
“Even as it takes advantage of the global maritime system, Panama has emerged as a bad actor,” committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said at the hearing, alleging Chinese companies operating at the canal have sometimes been awarded contracts without fair competition. “In the last two years, the canal authority generated record revenue even while transits were depressed by drought conditions, and the only comfort to delayed and overcharged ships is that Panama may invest in more freshwater reserves in the future.”
At issue is the Neutrality Treaty — signed by former President Jimmy Carter in 1977 — wh…
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