The Panama Canal has denied the U.S. State Department's claim regarding the free passage of U.S. government vessels.

The administration of the Panama Canal responded to the statement from the U.S. State Department regarding the exemption of U.S. government ships and vessels from transit fees for the canal, stating that it has not made any changes to the applicable tariffs, which remain in effect.

The State Department claimed that Panamanian authorities decided not to charge for passage through the Panama Canal for vessels owned by the U.S. government.

“In response to the statement published by the U.S. State Department, the Panama Canal administration, which is authorized to set fees for the passage of ships and vessels, informs that no changes have been made to them,” the statement reads.

At the same time, it is noted that they are ready to discuss payment-related issues with the American side.

Earlier, The Judicial and Legal Newspaper reported that following the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Panama, the country's president Raúl Mulino stated that Panama would not renew the memorandum of cooperation with the Chinese initiative "One Belt, One Road."

As writes The Washington Times, Mulino stated that Panama would not extend the agreement from 2017 when its term expires.

The publication notes that despite Mulino rejecting any negotiations over the sovereignty of the Panama Canal, there is an opinion that Panama may be open to a compromise, where the management operations of the canal would be taken away from the Hong Kong company Hutchison Ports, which was granted the right to manage it for 25 years without a tender.

At the same time, it remains unclear whether U.S. President Donald Trump will agree to transfer the concession to an American or European company, media reports.

Earlier, Donald Trump stated that “Panama is violating agreements regarding the passage of ships. We did not give this canal to China; we gave it to Panama, and we want it back.”

Subscribe to our Telegram channel t.me/sudua and to Google News SUD.UA, as well as to our VIBER, page on Facebook and on Instagram, to stay updated on the most important events.