As for the Panama Canal, Mulino denied U.S. vessels are being overcharged to use the waterway and emphasized that China plays no role in the canal. A Hong Kong-based firm manages two ports at the Panama Canal’s entrances, but Panama owns and operates the entire canal.

This week, Trump wished a Merry Christmas to the "wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal." It was the latest in a long series of criticisms made by Trump about the crucial maritime passage, which he ...