Advertisement
Citing China, Trump won’t rule out military use to reclaim Panama Canal, acquire Greenland
In extraordinary remarks, US president-elect also threatens Canada again with high tariffs as he proposes annexing it as 51st American state
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
99+
Khushboo Razdanin Washington
US president-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated his expansionist agenda, citing China as a security threat and refusing to rule out military action or economic pressure to reclaim the Panama Canal and acquire Greenland from Denmark.
Advertisement
“Look, the Panama Canal is vital to our country, it’s being operated by China, China. And we gave the Panama Canal to Panama, we didn’t give it to China,” he said in remarks at a press conference at his private residence Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
When asked whether he would avoid using military or economic coercion in Panama and Greenland, Trump replied: “I can’t assure you. You’re talking about Panama and Greenland. No, I can’t assure you on either of those two.
“But I can say this. We need them for economic security. The Panama Canal was built for our military,” he added.
Trump’s extraordinary remarks came a day after the US Congress officially certified his presidential election victory. The press conference was the second he has held since defeating Vice-President Kamala Harris in November.
Advertisement
Advertisement