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Panama President Jose Raul Mulino said China has no stake in the Panama Canal and US warships pay the same toll rates as other nations, pushing back against Donald Trump’s threats over the key waterway.

The president-elect intends to push back on Beijing’s “growth and strategic footprint” in the Western Hemisphere, said Trump’s pick for Latin America special envoy.

As for the Panama Canal, Mulino denied U.S. vessels are being overcharged to use the waterway and emphasized that China plays no role in the canal. A Hong Kong-based firm manages two ports at the Panama Canal’s entrances, but Panama owns and operates the entire canal.

Treaties ratified by the Senate in 1978 established permanent neutrality, but some Republicans regret that decision.

Trump’s demands to have the Panama Canal returned to the U.S. were made due to Panama charging “exorbitant” passage fees on the U.S.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino denied Donald Trump’s claims of Chinese interference in the Panama Canal, stating there was ‘absolutely no Chinese involvement’. Trump had alleged that China was illegally controlling the canal,