Panama Canal administrator pushes back against Trump's assertions of Chinese meddling

Open this photo in gallery: Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Và¡squez addresses President-elect Donald Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. should retake control of the Panama Canal during an interview with Associated Press in his office Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Panama City, Panama.Abraham Terà¡n/The Associated Press The administrator of the Panama Canal said Friday that the vital waterway will remain in Panamanian hands and open to commerce from all countries, rejecting claims by President-elect Donald Trump that the United States should take it over. In an interview with the Associated Press, Ricaurte Và¡squez denied Trump's claims that China was controlling the…