Mao Ning

China consistently respects Panama's sovereignty over the Panama Canal while acknowledging its role as a permanently neutral international passageway, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday, in response a question about US president-elect Donald Trump's claim that there are Chinese soldiers stationed at the Panama Canal.

Mao also emphasized Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino's latest statement that the Panama Canal is not under direct or indirect control of any major power.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has denied claims of Donald Trump that there are Chinese soldiers stationed at the Panama Canal, dismissing the claim as "nonsense" and asserting that there is "absolutely no Chinese interference," according to the BBC. 

"There is not a single Chinese soldier in the canal," he told reporters in Panama City.

Mulino also rejected the possibility of reducing tolls for US ships or ceding control of the canal, the BBC report said. "The canal is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians. There's no possibility of opening any kind of conversation around this reality," he said.

Global Times