The Executive of Panama has once again made it clear that sovereignty over the Panama Canal "belongs exclusively to the Panamanians", after the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, recently stated that Washington "controls" this strategic maritime route together with the authorities of the Central American country.
"The Panama Canal belongs exclusively to the Panamanians; its sovereignty belongs exclusively to Panama, and it is operated efficiently and managed correctly by the Republic of Panama through the Panama Canal Authority", the Panamanian Foreign Affairs minister, Javier Martínez-Acha, has said.
The head of Panamanian diplomacy, who has emphasized that his statements seek "to give a serene, firm, sovereign and legally effective response" to Hegseth's words, has stressed that "no country", other than Panama, exercises "control" over "the administration of the Panama Canal".
"We have security cooperation with many countries, including the United States, with the purpose of guaranteeing maritime security, protecting critical infrastructure, and mitigating the risks of drug trafficking and organized crime", he said, underscoring that this kind of collaboration is also maintained "with other countries", including Spain.
"Let it be clear. The canal is for the Panamanians and it will continue to be for the Panamanians, exclusively", Martínez-Acha reiterated. He has noted that he will not take part in an exchange of reproaches "with any foreign official" and has urged that the country be kept out of "geopolitical rivalries among the great powers".
In this way, the minister referred to Hegseth's references to the alleged influence of China on the canal, one of the most important commercial routes in the region. "Panama set aside the Chinese initiative of the 'Belt and Road', and we, together with them, control the canal. The message is simple: this is our hemisphere. Act accordingly", the head of the Pentagon said.
The United States has repeatedly questioned what it considers a growing influence of China in the Panama Canal, and the current occupant of the White House, Donald Trump, reached the point of raising in 2025 the possibility of resorting to the U.S. Armed Forces to control the area, which prompted criticism from Beijing for what they describe as baseless accusations.