9 edits? You're really reaching to come up with some sort of tax-rationale to attack Trump's interest in the Panama Canal imho.
It's poorly run, for a huge profit:
It's poorly run, for a huge profit:
More:Quote:
The canal is "running dry", said the BBC. A lack of rain and the El Niñoweather phenomenon mean that water levels in Lake Gatn, which feeds the canal, are "falling critically low". This drought has "hampered the canal's ability to move ships between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans", said Bloomberg. As part of its water-saving measures, Panama has reduced the number of ships allowed to pass through, and the weight they are allowed to carry, exacerbating existing pressures on supply chains.
Despite the restrictions, the canal's profits increased by about 9.5% in the year ending in September, said Reuters, to $3.45 billion (2.7 billion). But authorities have imposed higher and higher fees to pass through the canal, and this "appears to form one part of Trump's issue", said CNN. His other claim that China is seeking to exert more control "is not without merit", either China's influence in the area around the canal has grown since Panama vowed in 2017 not to maintain any official ties with Taiwan.
Mulino can talk tough for now, but I doubt Trump just lets this CCP-fanboy (more at the link) off on this.Quote:
With Chinese interests controlling the entry ports on both sides of the canal, a circumstance that the 1977 treaties arguably prohibit, disabling the waterway would be child's play for our adversaries in Beijing and disastrous for America's economy and safety.
Trump should quickly and decisively restore US control of the canal and, if necessary, its possession citing both national-security concerns and Panama's apparent violation of its treaty obligations.
A forceful demand for the canal's return could be enough to compel Panama to oust China's treaty-violating presence. If not, military occupation would end it, restoring American control as a consequence of Panama's failure to uphold the treaty.
Panamanian President Jos Ral Mulino responded to Trump's statement by announcing with, no surprise, China's full support that "every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama, and will continue to do so."
Bold words for a leader of a country with no army and a long history of corruption, including a predecessor, Manuel Noriega, who was ousted by American forces and imprisoned in the US after running Panama as a
Narcostate.
"We'll see about that," was Trump's reply.
After Jan. 20, Mulino and his Chinese friends just might.
