China today reaffirmed its support for Panama’s sovereignty over the Canal and rejected US accusations of alleged interference in the maritime route.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo JiaKun said Beijing fully respects Panama’s authority over the infrastructure.

He also emphasised the recognition of the Canal’s position as an international waterway of permanent neutrality.

The spokesman underlined that China has always respected the management and operation of the Canal by the Panamanian government and emphasised that Beijing does not intervene in matters related to the administration of the waterway.

According to a recent communication from the US government, US vessels will not have to pay to transit through the Panama Canal, a claim quickly denied by the authority that manages this infrastructure.

President Donald Trump has on several occasions accused China of alleged interference in this maritime route, mainly because a Hong Kong company operates two ports at the entrances to the canal.

Panama denied that Beijing has any involvement in the route and answered some concerns about it to Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his recent visit to the country.

However, Rubio himself assured that the Central American nation had made important «concessions» and it is known that the two sides will hold talks on the US-built inter-oceanic canal, inaugurated in 1914 and handed over to the Panamanians in 1999 under bilateral treaties.

In the meantime, President José Raúl Mulino has already announced that Panama will not renew its participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, which it joined in 2017 and to which some 150 countries belong.