In the midst of growing tensions between both countries after President Donald Trump’s threats to retake the inter-oceanic waterway and the upcoming visit of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the hearing generates expectations on decisions that already show future pressures to the isthmus.
In statements to the TVN news channel, Julio Linares, an expert in international affairs, pointed out that from a legal point of view, the meeting of the US Senate Commerce Committee does not affect the commitment of neutrality between both countries.
The Deputy Administrator of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), engineer Ilya Espino de Moratta, was invited to the hearing, but she will not be able to attend.
However, the meeting led by Republican Ted Cruz, on the impact of the Panama Canal on U.S. trade, the challenges of its capacity limitations, the increase in tariffs and the possible risks of the presence of China and other foreign powers, generates no little expectation.
The Committee is made up of 28 members, of which 15 are Republicans and 13 are Democrats.
However, according to specialists, what happens in the hearing is not binding for the decisions of the Trump administration.
Even so, it allows Panama to identify the complaints and concerns that the United States has about the country.
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