China has voiced its support for Panama to retain control of the Panama Canal after Trump floated the idea of taking back control of the trade route.

President-elect Donald Trump over the weekend suggested the US should retake the Panama Canal, an idea that was immediately rejected by the government of Panama, which has controlled the passage for decades.

The incoming US president said he would not let the crucial waterway - which has been under Panama's control for decades - fall into the "wrong hands".