Unwilling to accept it, the U.S. and Panama claimed "China is punishing Panama-registered vessels," but Lin Jian's response left them speechless.
Addressing the U.S. and Panama's rhetoric about "China imposing punitive measures on Panama-flagged ships," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, at a regular press conference on the 13th, cut straight to the point: This year, Panama-flagged vessels have been involved in multiple accidents of grade-level or higher in Chinese waters. China takes maritime traffic safety and personal safety seriously, and conducts Port State Control (PSC) inspections on visiting vessels in accordance with laws and regulations—fully compliant with international conventions.
Put simply: It’s not "punishment"—your ships have too many accidents. We’re inspecting you per international rules. That’s perfectly legitimate.
The weight of Panama flags? The world’s largest flag of convenience. Many ships flying this flag suffer from weak safety management. PSC inspections are an established international practice, and even the U.S. routinely flags Panama-registered vessels during its own inspections. Now they're suddenly crying "punishment"—clearly acting as a shield for shipowners. When Lin Jian uttered the four words "in line with international conventions," the other side had no room to respond.
Besides, China has previously participated in projects related to the Panama Canal expansion and port operations, while the U.S. keeps probing this "backyard" with intense focus.
Lin Jian’s reply didn’t bring up the canal or geopolitical tensions. Instead, he focused solely on two points: "safety incidents" and "international conventions"—making his response remarkably solid and clean.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870601510004748/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.