Panama rules out talks with Trump over canal threat

Usage fees set in public, open process, says its president, denying interference by China

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PANAMA CITY - Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Dec 26 ruled out negotiations with US President-elect Donald Trump over control of the Panama Canal, denying that China was interfering in its operation.

Mr Mulino also rejected the possibility of reducing tolls for US vessels in response to Trump's threat to demand control of the vital waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans be returned to Washington.

"There is nothing to talk about," Mr Mulino told a press conference. "The canal is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians.

"There is no possibility of opening any kind of conversation around this reality, which has cost the country blood, sweat and tears," he said.