Panama, not China, controls the canal
WHEN & WHERE WAS IT SAID?
When: Jan 20, 2025
Where: Inaugural address
Original context / reporting ↗THE CLAIM (BRACE YOURSELF)
China is operating the Panama Canal
WHAT HE SAID (WORD FOR WORD, SADLY)
In his inaugural address he said, "And, above all, China is operating the Panama Canal."
WHEN AND WHERE (THE RECEIPTS HAVE A CALENDAR)
Inaugural address, Jan. 20, 2025, as fact-checked by the Associated Press.
WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS (BRING SNACKS)
- Canal administrator Ricaurte Vásquez told AP there is no discrimination in the fees.
- Chinese-linked companies run ports at each end of the canal through a Hong Kong consortium that won a 1997 bidding process; U.S. and Taiwanese firms run other ports.
- A neutrality treaty bars special treatment for U.S.-flagged ships; the only exception is expedited passage for American warships.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Running a nearby port is not operating the canal. Panama operates the canal.
THE FACTS (SORRY)
Panama operates the canal; Hong Kong-based firms managed some nearby ports.
Finding: FalseBold. Wrong, but bold.
Sources & further reading
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Editorial note: each article reports only details found in the linked sources. Where a source does not give a venue, date or exact wording, we say so instead of guessing. Quotations may need further editorial verification against primary recordings or transcripts.