ISTANBUL

China on Friday accused the US of harboring intentions to seize the Panama Canal, from which a Hong Kong-based operator was recently ousted.

Beijing's position on the Panama port issue "is clear," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in the capital.

"The US side's repeated hype up (of) this issue accusations only expose its own intention to seize the canal," Lin said, according to Beijing-based daily Global Times.

His remarks came in response to a question about US claims Thursday that China has been detaining Panama-flagged ships, which Washington described as Beijing's "punishment" of Panama.

Panama's Supreme Court ruled last January that license terms granted to Hong Kong-based company CK Hutchison to operate two strategic ports at either end of the canal violate the country's constitution. The decision came roughly a year after US President Donald Trump publicly raised concerns over Chinese-linked infrastructure near the waterway, describing it as a potential security threat.

CK Hutchison's Panama Ports Company has since filed a lawsuit against Panama at the International Chamber of Commerce Court, seeking damages of over $2 billion. The firm has said Panama failed to file an initial response to the arbitration, according to Seatrade Maritime News.