China Defends Its Inspections of Panama-Flagged Ships as Routine

International Key Facts —The defence. China calls its inspections of Panama-flagged ships routine safety checks. —The rebuttal. It rejects US and Panamanian claims that it is weaponising shipping. —The claim. Beijing says such vessels had the highest share of accidents in its waters this year. —The trigger. Detentions spiked after Panama voided a Chinese-linked canal…