Washington DC - The US on Thursday accused Beijing of detaining Panama-flagged ships in retaliation against a takeover by Panamanian authorities of two ports previously controlled by China.

"China has now imposed a surge in detentions of Panama-flagged vessels in Chinese ports under the guise of port state control, far exceeding historical norms," the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said in a statement.

"These intensified inspections were carried out under informal directives and appear intended to punish Panama after the transfer of Hutchison's port assets," the statement added.

The alleged detentions come after a Panamanian court declared in January that a contract allowing Panama Ports Company to manage the Panama Canal ports of Balboa and Cristobal since 1997 was "unconstitutional."

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The court ruling is the latest legal move to ripple through the waterway, which handles about 40% of US container traffic and 5% of world trade.

Tensions have especially mounted between Panama, the US, and China after President Donald Trump last year baselessly claimed that Beijing effectively has control over the vital waterway and threatened to take it over by force.

"Given that Panama-flagged ships carry a meaningful share of US containerized trade, these actions could result in significant commercial and strategic consequences to US shipping," the FMC said.

In response to a question about the allegations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday, "The US side's repeated accusations only expose its own intention to seize the canal."

Lin last year called the Trump administration's actions a "malicious" attack against China and accused the US of "smearing and undermining China-Panama cooperation."