Beijing: China on Friday condemned the “Cold War’s mindset” by the United States in Latin America, saying that it complained to the region’s secretary on comments during a visit to the region.
Since winning the US election in November, President Donald Trump refused to use force to seize the Panama Canal, which was created by Washington a century ago and was later handed over to Panama.
About 40 percent of the American container traffic passes through a narrow body of water connecting the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.
Beyond the paid tolls, Washington has appeared mainly concerned about Chinese investment in 80 km (50-mile) long canal, which handles five percent of the global maritime trade.
The latest controversy over the Panama Canal comes at the end of the week -long journey to America between Rubio, which is as the top diplomat of America.
He threatened action against Panama until he made immediate changes to reduce the Chinese effect on the canal.
Beijing said on Friday that Rubio’s remarks “unjustly accuses China” and “intentionally bizoons between China and the relevant Latin American countries”.
An anonymous spokesperson said that China has recorded “a serious representation with the US side”.
The country’s President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday confirmed that Panama had taken out of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Infrastructure Program.
Rubio saw that vow as “great steps ahead” for bilateral relations.
In response, Beijing stated that it “strongly opposes America using pressure and pressure to weaken the belt and road cooperation”.
“Its achievements have benefited people in countries like Panama,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lynn said in a briefing.
BRI is a large -scale infrastructure project that is a central pillar of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s dialect to expand its country’s clots abroad.
Western critics accused China of using BRIs, developing developing countries in uncertain debt to take diplomatic advantage or even seize their assets.
On Friday, Beijing insisted that it “supports Panama’s sovereignty on the canal”.
The Ministry of External Affairs said, “The intervention in the US side attacks and relevant cooperation once again reveals its hegmonic nature.”
