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Rubio Visits Panama Canal, Delivers Trump Warning on Chinese Involvement

By RFE/RL February 03, 2025

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Panama Canal on February 2, warning the host country that Washington will "take measures necessary" if it doesn't curb Chinese involvement in the crucial waterway.

Following the threats, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino reiterated his country's sovereignty over the canal, but he suggested it was possible to review agreements with Beijing and also announced further steps to cooperate on immigration, a major policy matter with the U.S. administration.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Rubio delivered a message from President Donald Trump stating that China's presence was a threat to the waterway and a violation of the U.S.-Panama treaty.

"Secretary Rubio made clear that this status quo is unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the treaty," Bruce said.

Rubio did not specify the steps Panama needed to take or suggest what moves the United States might take in retaliation if measures were not taken.

Trump has said he does not rule out military force over Panama - remarks that irked many U.S. allies in Latin America and elsewhere.

Trump has also made remarks about the United States potentially purchasing the island of Greenland from Denmark -- which says it's not for sale -- and suggested Canada should annex itself to the United States, although the seriousness of those comments was not clear.

China's business with the canal is mainly carried out through Hong-Kong based Hutchison Holdings, which operates two ports near the entrances to the waterway under a 25-year concession renewed in 2021.

Rubio last week said that under the current status, China could theoretically use the ports to shut down the canal should a conflict break out between the United States and the Asia giant.

Rubio visited the canal on February 2, viewing the Miraflores locks of the canal, with local authorities giving him a guided tour of the historic site.

The Panamanian president said his meeting with Rubio was cordial and respectful. He indicated it was possible to review some Chinese businesses in Panama, including the port concession.

China has denied it plays any role in operation of the canal and that it respects Panama's control over the waterway.

"Never ever has China interfered," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said last month and added that Beijing recognizes the canal as "a permanently neutral international waterway."

The Panama Canal was built in a U.S.-led project, and Washington maintained control when it began operation in 1914, also holding the surrounding Canal Zone.

In 1964, it began to negotiate the situation following deadly riots by Panamanians angered over foreign control of the waterway.

After long, contentious negotiations, President Jimmy Carter signed the deal that gave the canal to Panama at the end of 1999.

The manmade waterway features a series of locks and reservoirs covering 82 kilometers cutting through the middle of Panama and connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Some 5,600 workers died during the U.S.-led construction project, many brought in from elsewhere in the Caribbean, one study showed.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-trump-panama- canal-china/33300909.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.