Panama City [Panama], December 27: Panamanian President Jose Raúl Mulino has denied claims by US President-elect Donald Trump that there are Chinese soldiers stationed at the Panama Canal.
In recent days Trump has threatened to take the canal back into US control, accusing Panama of "ripping off" the US by charging high shipping rates.
In a message posted to his Truth Social account on Wednesday, Trump wrote: "Merry Christmas to all, including to the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal".
Mulino called the claim "nonsense" and said that there is "absolutely no Chinese interference".
Mulino also rejected the possibility of reducing tolls for US ships or ceding control of the canal, a major shipping channel that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
After breaking ties with Taiwan, Panama established diplomatic ties with China in 2017, and Mulino said relations between the two countries were "respectful, well-managed . in terms of what is in the interest of both countries."
His comments came a day after Trump said he would nominate a Florida lawmaker to be his ambassador to Panama.
Kevin Marino Cabrera, a Republican commissioner in Miami-Dade County, worked for Trump's 2020 campaign and this year was Florida's representative to the Republican National Committee.
Announcing his pick in a Christmas Day post on his Truth Social network, Trump said Cabrera "will do a fantastic job representing our Nation's interests in Panama!".
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
