PANAMA CITY – Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino on Sunday dismissed recent threats made by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to retake control of the Panama Canal, reaffirming that “the sovereignty and independence” of Panama are not “negotiable.” “I want to express precisely that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama, and will continue belonging to Panama,” Mulino posted on social X.

“Every Panamanian, here or anywhere in the world, carries it in their heart, and it is part of our history of struggle and irreversible conquest,” he added. In 2019, the U.S. documentary “Panama Canal” premiered. While the film showcases the canal’s global significance, it skips a key chapter: U.S. intervention in Panama’s secession from Colombia, which secured American control of the canal for nearly a century.

“To build the canal, the United States had helped Panama gain independence from Colombia, thereby dismembering a sister republic to secure a canal treaty that secured U.S. interests,” Panamanian historian Marixa Lasso, wrote in her book “Erased: The Untold Story of the Panama Canal.” In 1821, Panama declared independence from Spain and became part of the Republic of Gran Colombia. By the mid-19th century, its strategic location attracted U.S. interest, particularly as the country sought a transoceanic canal. In 1903, the Herran-Hay Treaty was signed, granting the U.S. rights to construct a canal. However, it was rejected by Colombia’s legislature over sovereignty concerns.

Then U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt hinted backing Panama’s independence in a letter to his friend Alber Shaw, “Privately, I freely say to you that I should be delighted if Panama were an independent state, or if it made itself so at this moment.” On Nov. 3, 1903, U.S. warships supported a revolt that led to Panama’s secession. Within days, the U.S. recognized the new nation and quickly secured the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, granting it “the use, occupation and control” of the canal zone in perpetuity for a modest payment. (Xinhua)

Photo: A drone photo shows a cargo vessel sailing on the Panama Canal near Panama City, Panama. (Xinhua)