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Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a briefing that
China “firmly opposes the U.S. smearing and undermining the Belt
and Road cooperation through means of pressure and coercion.”
The Belt and Road Initiative is President Xi Jinping’s signature
foreign police drive to bind China closer to countries in the
region and beyond by building roads, railways, airports, power
plants and other infrastructure. The program has completed some
major projects but also raised concerns about debt and
environmental impact.
Panama’s decision to walk away from it was seen as a concession
to the U.S. over the canal after U.S. Secretary of State Marco
Rubio warned Panamanian leader José Raúl Mulino on Sunday that
Panama must immediately reduce what President Donald Trump says
is Chinese influence over the canal area or face potential
retaliation from the United States.
Mulino has rejected pressure from the new U.S. government to
discuss ownership of a waterway that is vital to global trade.
Despite that, some believe Panama may be open to a compromise
under which canal operations on both sides are taken away from
the Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports company, which was given a
25-year no-bid extension to run them. An audit into the
suitability of that extension is already underway and could lead
to a rebidding process.
A drop in water levels in the canal due to drought has slowed
transit through the canal, raising further complaints from
Trump, although the delays appear to have nothing to do with
China.
Lin said the Belt and Road Initiative has brought “active
participation” from over 150 countries and that it has brought
“fruitful results” to Panama and China, but gave no examples.
“We hope Panama will bear in mind the general picture of
bilateral relationship and the long-term interests of both
peoples, resist external interference, and make the right
decision,” Lin said.
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