But Mulino said he was waiting until Trump takes office to assess whether the incoming U.S. president will press the matter, according to Balladares.

   “He said he will take more actions after January 20 … if President-elect Trump insists on the issue,” Balladares recounted in an interview at his office.

   Balladares said that Mulino made the remarks to him during a gathering at Panama’s presidential palace, where Latin American leaders met with Venezuela’s opposition leader Edmundo González.

   Mulino did not specify any other actions he might take, according to Balladares.

   “Like everybody else in this country he’s surprised,” Balladares said of his successor’s response to Trump’s rhetoric.

   The remarks came one day after Trump declined to rule out the use of military force to take back the Panama Canal, which the U.S. ceded to Panama a quarter-century ago.

   Neither the Trump transition nor a spokesperson for Mulino, Astrid Salazar, immediately responded to requests for comment.

   In recent weeks, Trump has claimed, with no apparent basis, that Chinese soldiers control the canal, which is operated by an independent Panamanian canal authority. He has also complained about the transit fees paid by American ships and threatened to take back control of the waterway.

   Mulino publicly pushed back last month, saying, “As president, I want to clearly state that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjoining zone is Panama’s and will remain so.”

   Panama holds a non-permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council in 2025 and 2026.

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