US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Panamanian leaders that the US would be forced to take action to protect its rights under the Panama Canal Treaty if Panama didn't move to oust Chinese-connected companies near the waterway. Rubio also stated that China's growing influence in the region represents a threat to the canal and is a violation of the treaty.
Then U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, nominee to be Secretary of State, testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 15, 2025. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Panamanian leaders that the U.S. would protect its rights under the Panama Canal Treaty if the Central American nation didn’t move to oust Chinese-connected companies near the critical waterway.
China’s influence has been growing in the region. In 2017, a previous Panamanian government severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan and declared that there was “only one China” — a move that has occurred in several Latin American nations in recent years. The Panama Canal has come under heightened scrutiny since December, when Trump complained that it’s charging exorbitant rates to U.S. ships. He demanded that fees either be lowered, or that Panama return the canal to the U.S.In a Truth Social post, Trump called the fees “ridiculous” and the current situation a “complete ‘rip-off.’” In his inaugural address last month, Trump reiterated his claim that China is operating the Panama Canal and said his administration would take it back.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, arrived in Panama on Saturday for the start of a six-day trip that will also take him to El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.
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