טראמפ: ארה"ב לא תאפשר לסין להשתלט מחדש על תעלת פנמה

President Trump is once again turning up the pressure on the Panama Canal, doubling down on concerns over China's growing influence over the strategic waterway. The commons on Wednesday marked a renewed push in his long-running focus on countering Beijing's global reach. Take a listen. It opened and from day one it was very successful and we gave it away. We gave it away. It's the most expensive thing we ever built and it was also the most profitable thing we ever built and now China is trying to take over the Panama Canal and we're not going to let that happen, okay? The Panama Canal is a critical maritime route through which about five percent of global maritime trade passes. A Chinese company used to control some ports of the canal. The State Department released a joint statement in April saying quote, Panama is a pillar of our maritime trading system and as such must remain free from any undue external pressure. Between China, the U.S. and Panama, it's been a tit-for-tat exchange for the past year. Last year, the U.S. called on Panama to curb China's influence in the canal. In January, Panama's Supreme Court struck down a deal that allowed a Hong Kong-based company to operate key ports along the canal. Following that decision, the company CK Hutchison launched international arbitration proceedings against Panama seeking over two billion dollars in damages. Another port in South America is also of strategic importance, the port of Chiang Kai-in in Peru. U.S. Congressman Maria Avera Salazar called it the largest Chinese port in the hemisphere. The catch here is it's operated by the Chinese state-owned company Costco Shipping. It's not only a major logistics hub for the continent, but it has also come under scrutiny over concerns that Beijing could use it for military purposes, including hosting Chinese submarines and naval vessels.