Energy News
TRADE WARS
Panama 'firm' on canal as US reportedly weighs options
Panama 'firm' on canal as US reportedly weighs options
by AFP Staff Writers
Panama City (AFP) Mar 14, 2025

Panama's government said Thursday it would remain "firm" in defending its sovereignty and the Panama Canal, after a report suggesting that US President Donald Trump is considering options aimed at "reclaiming" the strategic waterway.

NBC News, citing two unnamed US officials, said the White House has asked the military to "draw up options for increasing the American troop presence in Panama" -- everything from more US-Panama security cooperation to an actual seizure.

The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment on the report, which emphasized that a seizure remained a "less likely" option.

"With respect to these statements, I have nothing more to say than that Panama remains firm in defending its territory, its canal, and its sovereignty," Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha told reporters.

"Let it be clear, the canal belongs to the Panamanians and will remain so," he added.

The NBC News report sparked surprise in the central American country, given that there have been no US troops stationed there for more than 25 years.

The last US soldier left on December 31, 1999 -- the day the United States, which built the Panama Canal, relinquished control of the crucial shipping route.

The United States had invaded Panama a decade earlier to capture dictator Manuel Noriega, whom Washington accused of drug trafficking.

Tensions between the United States and Panama have again spiraled over Trump's repeated threats to "take back" the Panama Canal, including by force if necessary.

Panama has made several concessions to Trump, including putting pressure on a Hong Kong company that operated ports on the canal to pull out.

The company, whose Panama operations formed the basis for Trump's claim that China had undue influence in the interoceanic waterway, eventually sold the ports to a US investment firm.

Related Links
Global Trade News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TRADE WARS
China calls for 'dialogue' to resolve US trade tensions
Beijing (AFP) Mar 13, 2025
China on Thursday called for "dialogue" with Washington to resolve spiralling trade tensions that have seen the world's two largest economies impose a slew of tariffs on each other's imports. "China has always advocated that China and the United States should adopt a positive and cooperative attitude towards differences and controversies in economic and trade fields," commerce ministry spokeswoman He Yongqian told a weekly news conference. "But it must be stressed that any form of communication ... read more

TRADE WARS
UK energy minister in Beijing seeks to press China on emissions

'More and faster': UN calls to shrink buildings' carbon footprint

Peruvian farmer demands 'climate justice' from German energy giant

Sweden risks missing carbon neutrality goals: OECD

TRADE WARS
Chinese battery behemoth CATL posts jump in annual profit

The quest for room-temperature superconductors

Top locations for ocean energy production worldwide revealed

CATALYST Unveils INSIGHTS Vegetation Management to Strengthen Utility Grid Reliability

TRADE WARS
Engineers' new design of offshore energy system clears key hurdle

Student refines 100-year-old math problem, expanding wind energy possibilities

Berlin says offshore Chinese wind farm may pose security risk

Green energy projects adding to Sami people's climate woes: Amnesty

TRADE WARS
Identifying Key Organic-Inorganic Interaction Sites for Enhanced Emission in Hybrid Perovskites via Pressure Engineering

Groundbreaking Discovery Links Small Polaron Effect to Enhanced Spin Lifetime in 2D Lead Halide Perovskites

Cheap and environmentally friendly - the next generation LEDs may soon be here

Making solar projects cheaper and faster with portable factories

TRADE WARS
Japan begins its first dismantling of a commercial nuclear reactor

Highly radioactive nuclear waste - how to keep it from oblivion

UN atomic chief visits uranium-mining Niger

Google, Amazon, Meta join back tripling of global nuclear power by 2050

TRADE WARS
Eco friendly low-cost energy storage system from pine biomass

Why Expanding the Search for Climate-Friendly Microalgae is Essential

Solar-powered reactor extracts CO2 from air to produce sustainable fuel

Zero Emissions Process for Truly Biodegradable Plastics Developed

TRADE WARS
Trump says Iran 'will be held responsible' for Huthi attacks

U.S. officials act to block illicit Iranian oil trade with China

BP says gas leak stopped off coast of Senegal, Mauritania

China urges 'dialogue' after Yemen rebels say attacked US carrier

TRADE WARS
Doubts over climate funding as donors squeeze aid

Spain near end of four-year drought: weather agency

US 'vital' for forecasting global weather extremes: UN

UK court cuts longest jail terms on activists, rejects 10 appeals

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.