China has criticised what it called US “coercion” after Panama declined to renew a key infrastructure agreement with Beijing following Washington’s threat to take back the Panama Canal. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a briefing that China “firmly opposes the US smearing and undermining the Belt and Road co-operation through means of pressure and coercion”.

In response to comments regarding Panama's announcement that it will withdraw from the Belt and Road cooperation agreement with China and whether China thinks the US pressure has affected Panama's decision,