Secretary of State Marco Rubio says President Donald Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland and retake control of the Panama Canal is driven by legitimate national security interests stemming from growing concerns about Chinese activity and influence in the Arctic and in Latin America.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make clear to Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino in an upcoming visit that the Panama Canal is a strategic asset and cannot be under Chinese control, a senior U.S. official told reporters on Friday.
US senators heard sharply different analyses about Chinese influence over the Panama Canal on Wednesday, with some experts suggesting solutions ranging from enhanced trade partnerships to military intervention to regain control of the strategic waterway.
President Donald Trump's suggestion of the U.S. taking control of the Panama Canal has a legal basis partly due to potential treaty violations involving Chinese activities in Panama.
Panama President José Raúl Mulino rejected negotiations over ownership of the Panama Canal, in the face of President Trump’s fixation on the U.S. retaking the trade waterway. Mulino’s remarks come ahead of a visit this weekend by Secretary of State Marco Rubio,
China's presence around the Panama Canal is a national security concern that Panama's government has to deal with, U.S. Special Envoy for Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone said on Friday, ahead of U.
The aggressive rhetoric of US President Donald Trump has shocked Panamanians, who see the waterway as a source of enormous national pride. View on euronews
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday he had "zero doubt" that China has a contingency plan to shut down the Panama Canal in the event of a conflict with the U.S. and that Washington intends to address what it sees as a national security threat.
It’s impossible, I can’t negotiate,” Mulino said when asked about returning the canal to U.S. control. “That is done. The canal belongs to Panama.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is traveling to Central America and the Caribbean. That is welcome news for smaller countries that typically struggle to get the attention of Washington. Usually, new secretaries of state reserve their first overseas visits for major US allies in Europe or Asia.