China rejects Rubio's Panama ship detention claims, vows to defend legitimate rights

Comments made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on detentions of Panama-flagged vessels by China following a Panamanian court ruling are 'completely fabricated', China's foreign ministry said on Friday (April 3).

Rubio said on Thursday (April 2) that the detentions raise serious concerns about efforts to undermine rule of law in the Latin American country.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission said last week that it was closely monitoring a surge in detentions of Panama-flagged vessels in China that appears tied to a Panama court ruling against Hong Kong-based port operator CK Hutchison.

Panama's Supreme Court in late January invalidated the legal framework supporting the 1997 concession granting CK Hutchison's Panama Ports Company the right to operate the Balboa and Cristobal terminals on the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the Panama Canal.

The cancellation followed mounting U.S. pressure to curb Chinese influence around the strategic canal, which handles about 5% of global maritime trade.

"China will firmly defend its own legitimate rights and interests," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

-Wang Shubing, Xiaoyu Yin/Reuters