According to President Mulino, Beijing recognizes that the controversy over the Panama Ports concession is being settled in international courts and not as a diplomatic crisis between States.
The Government of China recognized that the controversy surrounding the ports near the Panama Canal, operated by a Chinese company until a court ruling overturned the concession, is resolved before international courts and not as a diplomatic conflict between countries, as stated this Thursday by the Panamanian president, José Raúl Mulino.
According to the president, the government of the Asian giant, through its ambassador, formally communicated that it recognizes that the controversy over the ports must be resolved in the arbitration courts of New York.
“I celebrate that this message is accompanied by one of calming the relationship. I celebrate the positive message and as far as I am concerned, I have no interest in escalating this problem with China, that is what the two arbitration processes are for,” said Mulino.
This recognition comes at a time of high tension, marked by the increase in arrests of Panamanian-flagged vessels in Chinese ports. According to data from the Tokyo memorandum of understanding (Tokyo MOU), in April 2026, 147 detentions were recorded, an increase of 194% compared to the 50 reported in the same month of 2025. Of that total, 136 occurred in Chinese territory.
Mulino called this increase “not normal” and noted that it could have political implications. “It is a complex and thorny issue,” he said.
However, the president insisted that Panama does not have a direct conflict with the Asian giant. “It is a tide that carries us as a result of a two-major problem,” he stated.
In parallel, he defended the actions of the Panamanian Government regarding the administration of the ports, after the termination of the Panama Ports Company contract, ensuring that it was not an expropriation, but compliance with a court order that forced the State to assume control of the terminals.
He reiterated that Beijing’s approach this Thursday proposes to “keep the relationship calmer”, accepting that the dispute over the termination of the Panama Ports contract is a legal process where both parties are presenting their evidence.
