(VOVWORLD) - Panama President José Raúl Mulino on Thursday rejected the US State Department’s claim that his country had reached a deal allowing US vessels to transit the Panama Canal for free.
 A drone photo shows a cargo vessel sailing on the Panama Canal near Panama City, Panama, August 28, 2024. (Xinhua/VNA) |
Mulino said he had asked his ambassador in Washington to take "firm steps" to reject the claims made by the US State Department.
On Wednesday, the US State Department said via X that “US government vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without charge fees, saving the US government millions of dollars a year.” The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) put out its own terse statement later that night, saying it had “not made any adjustments” to the fees.
Also on Thursday, Mulino said Panama had formally presented a document to exit China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Embassy of Panama in Beijing had submitted the required 90-day notice of its withdrawal from the plan, he added.