At a recent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, the United States and China engaged in a verbal clash over control and influence over the Panama Canal, one of the world’s most important commercial waterways.
According to news sources, the tension arose at a meeting chaired by Panamanian President Jose Raul Molino, who stressed his country’s neutrality and sovereignty over this strategic waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Dorothy Shea, acting US ambassador to the United Nations, expressed concern about China’s excessive influence over critical infrastructure and ports in the Panama Canal, claiming that China’s actions in the region and its maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a threat to global trade and security.
He also pointed to the presence of Chinese companies in key Panamanian ports and called for a reduction in Beijing’s influence.
In contrast, China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Kong, called the US accusations “baseless” and considered them a pretext for Washington’s attempt to regain control of the canal.
He also accused the US of economic bullying and creating tension in the region.
