By enabling ships to avoid long and dangerous journeys across South America, the canal swiftly transformed international trade.
Because it made it possible for the US to swiftly transport naval vessels from the Atlantic to the Pacific, this was also important militarily.
However, previous President Jimmy Carter struck a deal in 1977 to progressively turn the canal over to Panama by 1999, a decision that Mr. Trump called “foolish.”
Whether Mr. Trump was reacting to a particular threat of ownership change was unclear on Sunday.
The Panama Canal Authority runs the canal on a daily basis, and China has not officially shown any interest in purchasing it.
