Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino denied US pressure influenced decisions regarding ports near the Panama Canal, stating the moves were 'genuinely Panamanian'. Panama aims to stabilize relations with Beijing.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday rejected suggestions that US pressure had shaped his government’s handling of a dispute over ports near the Panama Canal, as Panama seeks to stabilise relations with Beijing and renew a key maritime agreement. “The decision we made regarding those two ports was genuinely Panamanian,” Mulino said during his weekly press conference, after China accused unnamed “third parties” of interfering in bilateral ties. Mulino also expressed hope that...