The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said that US military and commercial ships should be allowed to pass through the Panama Canal and Suez Canal for free.
Trump posted the above remarks on the social media platform "Truth Social" on Saturday (March 26). He wrote: "These two waterways would not exist without the United States."
He has asked the US Secretary of State Rubio to handle this matter immediately.
According to reports by Reuters, the Suez Canal in Egypt is a key waterway connecting Europe and Asia. After a new round of conflict between Israel and Palestine broke out on October 7, 2023, the Houthi armed group, in support of Palestinians in Gaza, continuously attacked international ships on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden routes; prior to this, the freight volume of the Suez Canal accounted for about 10% of global maritime trade.
The attacks by the Houthi armed group forced ships to detour around the southern tip of Africa, thus extending the voyage and increasing shipping costs.
Egyptian authorities last year stated that the income from the Suez Canal plummeted by 60%, resulting in a loss of $7 billion.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830517951795211/
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