DONALD Trump has requested his military draw up plans to reclaim the Panama Canal, two officials have claimed.
The demands made by The White House come as Trump says he wants to crackdown China’s ever-growing presence in the region.
In his address to congress last week, the President said: “To further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal.”
Two US officials who are familiar with the plans, told NBC News that Trump’s administration is pushing ahead with this strategy despite no clarity on what “reclaiming” means.
Ahead of his inauguration in late January, Trump refused to rule out using force at the canal that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.
Both US officials have now said that US Southern Command is working on the plans to achieve Trump’s goal.
The various strategies are said to vary from partnering with the Panamanian military to US troops taking it by force.
Officials said this latter option is a less likely route that will be taken.
US military force will depend on the cooperation of the Panamanian military with America, they added.
The sources familiar with the plans said the President is focused on boosting the US presence in the region as China tries to get more of a foothold.
Concerns are especially around Chinese access to the canal, they said, after Trump claimed Chinese-supported ports bookend the 50-mile canal.
He said this is a security threat due to the increased potential that China could seize control the vital strait in a bid to strong-arm the US.
But both Panama and China have denied that there is foreign interference in the neutral canal that has its neutrality enshrined in a US-Panama treaty.
China has accused the US of pressuring Panamanian officials into blocking Chinese aid projects after Panama did not renew a major infrastructure agreement with the nation.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said last month that China “firmly opposes the U.S. smearing and undermining the Belt and Road cooperation through means of pressure and coercion.”
He added: “China supports Panama’s sovereignty over the canal and is committed to maintaining its status as a permanently neutral international waterway.
“China has never been involved in the management or operation of the canal, nor has it interfered in its affairs.”
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has echoed these comments, telling the US that his government alone dictates the canal.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to be briefed on the Panama strategy proposals this week ahead of a visit to Panama next month, the officials said.
They added that a forceful US invasion of the canal is hugely unlikely and would only come about if having a larger US military presence in the region does not accomplish Trump’s goal.
Strategies that may be on the table include making sure US ships can safely travel through the canal or restoring full US ownership and operation of the passageway.
US forces may also be used to secure ports, build new ports along the canal or take over operations of the locks along the passageway.
Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/13774757/trump-orders-us-military-reclaim-panama-canal/