U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told PanamanianPresident José Raúl Mulino on Sunday that the Central American ally mustimmediately reduce Chinese influence over the Panama Canal area or facepotential retaliation from the Trump administration. Mulino said laterthat “there is no real threat of retaking the canal or the use offorce.
By Matthew Lee, Associated PressPanama's President Jose Mulino, left, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrive for a meeting at presidential palace in Panama City, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025.
Speaking on behalf of President Donald Trump, who has demanded that the canal be returned to U.S. control, Rubio told Mulino that Trump had made a preliminary determination that China’s presence in the canal area violates a treaty that led to the United States turning the waterway over to Panama in 1999. That treaty calls for the permanent neutrality of the American-built canal.
About 200 people marched in Panama City, carrying Panamanian flags and shouting “Marco Rubio out of Panama,” “Long live national sovereignty” and “One territory, one flag” while the meeting was going on. Some burned a banner with images of Trump and Rubio after being stopped short of the presidential palace by riot police.Mulino said he hoped Rubio’s visit would focus on shared interests such as migration and combating drug trafficking. Rubio’s trip, however, comes as a U.S.
“We’re going to address that topic,” Rubio said a day earlier. “The president’s been pretty clear he wants to administer the canal again. Obviously, the Panamanians are not big fans of that idea. That message has been brought very clear.”
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