ISTANBUL 

China expressed its support for Panama on Thursday after the Central American nation rejected claims by the Trump administration that US government vessels could transit the Panama Canal free of charge, state media reported.

China has "always respected Panama's sovereignty over the canal and recognized the canal's status as a permanently neutral international waterway," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing.

Guo emphasized that China “respects the management and operation of the canal by the Panamanian government and has never interfered in canal affairs.”

Panama rejected the US claim early Thursday. The US State Department had stated that US government vessels could now transit the Panama Canal without incurring fees, potentially saving the US millions of dollars annually.

"The US government vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without charge, saving the US government millions of dollars a year," the State Department posted on X, accompanied by an image of a naval vessel entering the canal’s locks.

In response, the Panama Canal Authority, responsible for setting tolls and other fees, denied the claim, stating it "has not made any adjustments" and was open to "establishing a dialogue with US officials."

Over the past 26 years, the US has paid $25.4 million for the passage of warships and submarines, averaging less than $1 million annually, according to Panama’s Embassy in Cuba.

Additionally, China urged Panama to "resist external interference" in its Belt and Road cooperation amid ongoing threats by Trump to take control of the vital canal.

Following his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino stated that his government would not renew a 2017 Belt and Road agreement with China, which facilitated Beijing's investments in Panama. Mulino also mentioned that the government would evaluate the possibility of terminating the agreement prematurely.