Trump demands Panama lower Canal fees or return it to US – DW – 12/22/2024
www.dw.com
In a post on social media, the incoming US President Donald Trump described fees charged to use the key shipping lane as a "complete 'rip-off.'" He also warned of it falling into the "wrong hands."

Summary

Donald Trump criticized Panama Canal fees as “ridiculous” and demanded lower costs or the canal’s return to the US.

In a Truth Social post, Trump also expressed concern about potential Chinese influence over the waterway, despite no direct Chinese control of canal operations.

The canal, transferred to Panama in 1999, is vital for global trade, handling 5% of maritime traffic.

Trump’s comments follow record revenues of $5 billion announced by the Panama Canal Authority. Panama has not yet responded to his statements.

    • fxomtEnglish
      1•18 hours ago

      What would US politics be, then?

      This is about the US, and its diplomacy with panama. It is not, by definition, international politics. The US and trump, as i said, are clearly the focus in this article. If it was vice versa, ie, X country interacting with the US, for example, it would be passable. This is US internal politics.

      Why couldn’t have this been posted to a US news community? why this of all places?

      • @[email protected]English
        22•18 hours ago

        Yes by definition the diplomacy between two Nations is International politics. If it was internal us politics then it would be United States politics. I’m not sure what’s complicated about this, it’s common sense.

        Of course it could also be posted to a US News community. It could also be posted to a Panama news Community I suppose. Sometimes posts are appropriate more than one community.

        • fxomtEnglish
          13•17 hours ago

          On second thought, yeah, you’re probably right. I’m just really tired of hearing about trump, and my comments were a knee jerk reaction. Sorry.

          • @[email protected]English
            1•9 hours ago

            It’s so unfortunate that any of his big moves have international consequences. I don’t want the world to suffer from our mistakes but that’s the way it is.

      • @[email protected]English
        9•18 hours ago

        By your own logic, that wouldn’t be international news - it would be x country news and shouldn’t be posted here either. Why would it be “passable” if the news was about another country doing it?

        When Trump starts threatening to glass the EU with ICBMs, would that be US news only and not international? After all, it would be about the US and its arsenal of nuclear weapons.

        • fxomtEnglish
          4•18 hours ago

          That was probably a bad definition, sorry. I’m just tired of hearing of US news. But yeah, i would agree that the example would be international news.

          • @[email protected]English
            8•17 hours ago

            I totally get it, I live in the US and I’m so goddamn sick of hearing about this nonsense. The worst part for everybody else is how much money is in the US economy, which means that basically everything we do affects the world and is therefore international/world news.

            • @[email protected]English
              2•9 hours ago

              One of the first things he’s going to do is increase taxes on the poor and what’s left of the middle class and give tax breaks to the rich and corporations. Even that is world news in my opinion just because of the US status as pretty much the only world superpower. My country spends more on the military than the rest of the top 10 combined.

              • @[email protected]English
                2•6 hours ago

                Don’t forget that about half of those countries are also our allies (at least for a few months longer).

            • fxomtEnglish
              3•17 hours ago

              Yeah, same. and probably hearing trump’s name all the time will make you easily annoyed by hearing the word “US”.