China on Friday condemned the United States’ “Cold War mentality” in Latin America, saying it had complained about comments made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a visit to the region.
After winning the US election in November, President Donald Trump has not ruled out the possibility of using force to seize the Panama Canal, which was built by Washington a century ago and later handed over to Panama. About 40 percent of US container traffic passes through this narrow waterway, which connects the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
Apart from toll payments, Washington is mainly concerned about Chinese investment in the 80-kilometer (50-mile) canal, which handles five percent of world maritime trade. The latest controversy over the Panama Canal comes at the end of Rubio’s week-long trip to Central America, his first as a top US diplomat.
He threatened to take action against Panama unless it made immediate changes to reduce Chinese influence in the canal. Beijing said on Friday that Rubio’s comments “unfairly accused China” and “deliberately created disputes between China and relevant Latin American countries.” “China has lodged serious representations with the US side,” an unnamed spokesman said.
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino confirmed on Thursday that Panama has withdrawn from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure program. Rubio welcomed the commitment as a “big step” for bilateral relations.
In response, Beijing said it “firmly opposes the US’s use of pressure and coercion to discredit and undermine Belt and Road cooperation.” “Its achievements have benefited the people of countries like Panama,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin said at a briefing. The BRI is a massive infrastructure project. It is a central pillar of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s efforts to expand his country’s overseas influence.
Western critics accuse China of using the BRI to trap developing nations into unsustainable debt to exert diplomatic influence or seize their assets. Beijing on Friday stressed its support for Panama’s sovereignty over the canal. “The attacks and interference with the relevant assistance of the US side have once again exposed its domineering nature,” the foreign ministry said.
