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The U.S. Department of State issued an official statement in support of Panama's sovereignty in response to China's actions against Panama-flagged vessels, describing them as a direct threat to global maritime trade.
The statement comes in response to the increase in inspections and detentions of Panamanian vessels in Chinese ports, a retaliation from Beijing following the ruling by the Supreme Court of Panama, which on January 30 annulled the concession granted to the Hong Kong company CK Hutchison Holdings to operate the port terminals of Balboa and Cristóbal, located at the ends of the Panama Canal.
The ruling became effective on February 23, consolidating the judicial decision.
"The actions taken by China against Panamanian-flagged vessels raise serious concerns about the use of economic tools to undermine the rule of law in Panama, a sovereign nation and a vital partner for global trade," the statement noted.
The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Rubio also spoke out this Thursday and was straightforward about it, warning that Washington will not tolerate the use of economic pressures to interfere with the sovereignty of allied nations or with international free navigation.
After the cancellation of the concession, the Panamanian government provisionally designated APM Terminals, a subsidiary of Maersk, to manage the terminals during an 18-month transition period.
The Federal Maritime Commission of the United States (FMC) also warned that the detentions far exceeded historical port control standards, highlighting the extraordinary nature of the measures taken by China.
According to collected data, at least 70 Panamanian ships had been detained in Chinese ports as part of this escalation.
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