North Dakota, July 2 -- US President Donald Trump said that the United States should never have handed over control of the Panama Canal, arguing that Panama increased transit fees after taking control and warning that China is seeking to gain influence over the strategic waterway.

Speaking at the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora on Wednesday (local time), Trump criticised the historical decision to transfer control of the canal and vowed the US would not allow China to take over.

"The Panama Canal, so we gave it away. The first thing they did, you know what they did? They raised the prices for the ships by four times, and they didn't lose one ship. And then they raised it again twice, and they didn't lose...