Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has dismissed US President-elect Donald Trump's threats to reclaim control over the Panama Canal, asserting Panamanian ownership and rejecting negotiations. Mulino also refuted claims of Chinese influence and ruled out lowering tolls for US ships,

Mulino also ruled out lowering canal tolls for US ships and refuted claims that China held any sway over the crucial waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

Panama’s president shot down President-elect Donald Trump’s threat on Sunday that the US would call on the Central American country to cede control of the Panama Canal if it continued to charge “exorbitant” fees to use the critical shipping channel.