US ships to be allowed to pass through Panama Canal for free

Kathmandu. The U.S. State Department says U.S. ships passing through the Panama Canal will not have to pay any tolls, saving the U.S. millions of dollars each year. The US State Department gave this information on social media.
According to the news agency AFP, the US said that after heavy pressure from President Donald Trump, US ships were allowed to pass through the Panama Canal without tolls.
In his first speech after being sworn in as US President, Donald Trump again claimed that China was operating the Panama Canal.
Trump also threatened to withdraw the Panama Canal by force, citing the alleged “huge” fees charged to US ships passing through it.
He had said, “China operates the Panama Canal and we did not give it to China. We gave it to Panama and we are taking it back.”
The 82-kilometer-long Panama Canal runs through the center of Central America and is a key link between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
About 14,000 ships use this canal as a shortcut every year. Before the canal was built, ships had to make long and expensive trips through South America. Agency