The Chinese Embassy in Panama issued a statement in response to the remarks made by US Secretary of Defense Hegseth on China-Panama relations during his visit to Panama, pointing out that China has never participated in the management and operation of the Panama Canal, nor has it interfered in the affairs of the canal, and urged the US to stop distorting and slandering China.

The spokesperson said that US-Panama relations should not be exclusive, and developing relations with China is the choice of Panama as a sovereign state and the choice of the Panamanian people, and the US has no right to interfere.

The statement also said that China and Panama signed a memorandum of understanding on jointly building the “Belt and Road” in November 2017, which brought tangible benefits to the Panamanian nation and people. The US side has disregarded facts and hyped up the “China threat theory” in an attempt to undermine China-Panama cooperation, which is entirely for its own geopolitical purposes and exposes its hegemonic face. China advises the US to reflect on its own hegemony and plundering of developing countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Panama, and stop distorting and slandering China.