Trump says US vessels should pass through Panama, Suez Canals for free

US President Donald Trump has shared a post expressing his view that US vessels should be able to navigate through the Panama and Suez canals free of charge. Trump said in a social media post on Saturday. The two canals serve as essential sea routes for global cargo transportation. The Panama Canal in Central America connects the Pacific and the Atlantic.

The Suez Canal in the Middle East links the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. The United States and China are two of the top users of the Panama Canal. Egypt's Suez Canal, a key waterway linking Europe and Asia, accounted for about 10 percent of global maritime trade before attacks by Yemen's Huthi rebels on shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.