Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino dismissed U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's threats about taking back control of the Panama Canal. Speaking on Thursday, he said there was "nothing to talk," as reported by Al Jazeera.

On Thursday, Mulino dismissed the idea of reducing canal tolls for U.S. ships and denied accusations that China had any influence over the important waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Al Jazeera reports that Mulino stated, "If there is an intention to talk, then there is nothing to talk about," at a weekly news conference. "The canal is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians. There's no possibility of opening any kind of conversation around this reality, which has cost the country blood, sweat and tears," Panama President added.

A day before, Trump nominated Kevin Marino Cabrera as the United States Ambassador to Panama. Along with this announcement, Trump used his Christmas greetings to renew his calls for the US to take control of the Panama Canal, emphasising its importance for national security and economic advantages. Trump reaffirmed his long-held beliefs on the significance of these territories for the US in a series of posts on his social media network Truth Social on Wednesday. "Merry Christmas to all, including to the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal (where we lost 38,000 people in its building 110 years ago), always making certain that the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in "repair" money, but will have absolutely nothing to say about "anything," Trump remarked.

Trump had previously described the Panama Canal as a "vital national asset for the United States due to its critical role to America's economy and national security." According to the Office of the Historian under the US Department of State, the United States gained the rights to construct and manage the Panama Canal in the early 1900s. This was made possible by the Hay-Herran Treaty, signed with Colombia in 1903, which granted the US control over the land needed for the canal. The canal was constructed by the United States and opened in 1914. It was under American administration until a 1977 agreement called for its ultimate transfer to Panama. According to a CNN story, the canal was run jointly by both nations until the Panamanian government took exclusive authority after 1999.