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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Luca Ittimani

Who owns the Panama Canal and why does Trump want it?

A cargo ship carrying dozens of containers passes through a lock
A cargo ship traverses the Panama Canal’s Agua Clara locks. Photograph: Matias Delacroix/AP

Newly sworn in US president, Donald Trump, has doubled down on his pre-inauguration pledge to “take back” the Panama Canal.

During his inaugural address, Trump said the spirit of a treaty signed in 1977 by president Jimmy Carter that relinquished control of the canal in 1999 had been violated.

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