Just to set the record straight, The Panama Canal was not sold to anyone. The Panama Canal was built by American technology in a land that belongs to Panama. All that Jimmy Carter did was to recognized the fact that the land belong to Panama and did return the land - with all the impovements - to the rightfull owners, Panama. China had nothing to do with it. Like in the ports of Los Angeles, CA, China has facilities, so does it in Panama; so,what's the big deal? As far as the amount of fresh water used to transit ships through the Canal, with the new set of locks the fresh water will be recycled back to the lake