Rubio Celebrates That Panama Will Not Renew The Silk Road Pact With China

2025-02-04 11:15:50

(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama) The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, announced on Sunday, February 2, 2025, after meeting with the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, that Panama will not renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The announcement was diluted among questions regarding the current tense relationship resulting from statements by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, about an alleged influence of the People's Republic of China in the Panama Canal and how that would violate the Canal Neutrality Treaty . Therefore, there were no further details on the subject other than Mulino's clarification that this agreement would expire in a couple of years and that his government will not maintain it.

Secretary Marco Rubio meets with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino in Panama City, Panama, February 2, 2025.

The Panamanian president during his statement to the media said that a decision that I made and communicated to Marco Rubio was“.....that the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding on the Silk Road will not be renewed by my government, and that is how it is. We are going to study the possibility of whether it can be finished earlier or not, as I think that it is due for renewal in one or two years.” Was there pressure on the part of the Secretary of State towards Panama? Was this an action to reduce tension with the United States and calm its President? One can speculate, but it will not be known, however, the only concrete announcement by President Mulino after their meeting was that the Memorandum of Understanding would not be renewed. Panama's decision was applauded by Rubio on Monday February 3 from his X account, and was attributed to the leadership of US President Donald Trump. The US Secretary of State called it“a major step forward for US-Panama relations, a free Panama Canal, and another example of leadership from the US President”.

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