WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday accused China of 鈥渂ullying鈥� by detaining or holding up dozens of Panama-flagged ships 鈥� though for a short period of time 鈥� after the Central American country earlier this year from a .
China denies the allegations. Panama has been caught in a broader after U.S. President Donald last year of running the Panama Canal. The Trump administration sees the critical maritime trade route as strategically important, both commercially and militarily, and Trump has since his campaign.
鈥淐hina鈥檚 decision to detain or otherwise impede Panama-flagged vessels engaged in lawful trade destabilizes supply chains, raises costs, and erodes confidence in the global trading system,鈥� Rubio said on social media. 鈥淭he United States stands with Panama against any retaliatory actions against its sovereignty and will always support our partners in the face of bullying.鈥�
Of the 124 ships detained in Chinese ports for inspection in March, 92 鈥� or nearly 75% 鈥� were Panama-flagged, according to public data from Tokyo MOU, a regional port state control organization comprising 22 member authorities in the Asia-Pacific region. The Panama-flagged ships were typically detained for a few days 鈥� as short as one day or as long as 10 days 鈥� before being released.
That is up drastically from the previous two months, when 19 out of 45 ships 鈥� or more than 40% 鈥� held in February were Panama-flagged, and 23 out of 71 鈥� or over 30% 鈥� in January hung the Panama flag.
America鈥檚 鈥渞epeated wrongful allegations only reveal its attempt to take control of the canal,鈥� said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington. In a statement, he did not address the uptick in the number of Panama-flagged ships held up in Chinese ports.
It comes amid the backdrop of that the concession held by a subsidiary of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings over the Balboa and Crist贸bal terminals was unconstitutional.
The U.S. has pressured Panama and other Latin American countries to , where Trump has said he would . The Trump administration has gotten involved in Latin American affairs more aggressively than the U.S. government has in decades, most dramatically by in a military raid in January.
The Federal Maritime Commission in Washington has been tracking Panama-flagged vessels that are being detained or held up in Chinese ports.
鈥淪ecretary Rubio鈥檚 statement highlights the disruptive effects of the government of China鈥檚 actions against Panama-flagged vessels,鈥� said Laura DiBella, chair of the commission. She said the commission 鈥渋s not aware of any other country in recent history conducting vessel safety inspections and detentions in a punitive manner.鈥�
Panama鈥檚 government has said APM Terminals, a subsidiary of the Danish group A.P. Moller-Maersk, would temporarily assume the administration of the terminals while a new contract is awarded. DiBella said that the Chinese Ministry of Transport had summoned Maersk to Beijing for high鈥憀evel discussions.
Panama鈥檚 government has sought to minimize the wider geopolitical tensions surrounding the ships. Officials did not respond to requests for comment about Rubio鈥檚 comments, but previously denied that the detentions had to do with disputes between China and Panama over the canal.
In March, Panama鈥檚 foreign minister, Javier Mart铆nez, recognized that there had been an increase in detentions but said he believed they were 鈥減art of routine maritime industry practices, because detentions also occur in other ports and to other flags.鈥�
鈥淲e want to maintain a respectful relationship with China,鈥� he added.
After the ruling from the Panama supreme court in January, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China would 鈥渢ake all measures necessary to firmly protect the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.鈥�
Jos茅 Digeronimo, former president of the Panama Maritime Chamber, said actions with the ships could have a 鈥渉uge impact鈥� on Panama, which is a world leader in ship registries. The registries generate around $100 million for the government every year.
Digeronimo compared such registries to shipowners choosing passports, with owners registering their boats in places that 鈥渁llow you to travel to the greatest number of countries without restrictions.鈥� Harassment by Chinese authorities could put that in jeopardy, he said.
鈥淚f the world鈥檚 main exporter starts imposing restrictions for using the Panamanian flag, the last thing you鈥檒l want is to have the Panamanian one,鈥� Digeronimo said.
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Sol铆s reported from Panama City. Associated Press writers Megan Janetsky and Alexis Triboulard in Mexico City contributed to this report.
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