On December 22, while addressing supporters in Arizona, Trump stated that the canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans should be placed under American control.
According to Mulino, this issue "is not open for discussion."
"Every square meter of the Panama Canal and the surrounding territory belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to it. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not up for debate," his official website quotes him as saying.
He reminded that international treaties from 1977 established the gradual transfer of the transport canal, and since 1999 Panama has fully owned it. Any position suggesting otherwise "lacks both legal force and standing on the ground," while tariffs are "not a whim," but are set "through open hearings considering market conditions and international competition," said the Panamanian president.
Mulino also dismissed Trump's claims that China secretly controls the canal. Panama is ready to collaborate with the U.S. on issues related to illegal migration, drug trafficking, and organized crime, he added.
The future head of the White House responded to Mulino's remarks on his social media platform Truth with a single word – "we'll see."