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Trump seeks to regain control of the Canal, Secretary of State Rubio arrives in Panama

2025-02-02 18:13:10Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Trump seeks to regain control of the Canal, Secretary of State Rubio arrives in
Marco Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Panama on Saturday, his first foreign visit since taking office. The top US diplomat will hold meetings in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, before wrapping up his tour on Thursday.

Mr. Rubio will meet with President Jose Raul Mulino of Panama, President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, President Rodrigo Chavez of Costa Rica, President Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala, and President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic.

This diplomatic tour marks the first time in more than 100 years that the first official visit abroad by a new US top diplomat will be to Latin America, according to US special envoy for Latin America, Mauricio Claver-Carone.

Officials and experts say Secretary Rubio's visit is aimed in part at countering China's growing influence in the region. The trip by the US secretary of state comes as President Donald Trump tries to regain control of the Panama Canal and Washington intensifies efforts to curb illegal immigration.

“Secretary Rubio’s engagements with senior officials and business leaders will foster regional cooperation on our core shared interests. Stopping large-scale illegal immigration, combating transnational criminal organizations and drug traffickers, countering China, and deepening economic partnerships to increase prosperity in our hemisphere,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement Friday.

President Trump says China controls the Panama Canal, a vital trade route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific. Panama has rejected the US claim, insisting it manages the canal impartially for all maritime traffic.

Secretary Rubio warned days ago that in the event of a conflict, China could block access to the Panama Canal.

"If the Chinese government, in the event of a conflict, tells them to close the Panama Canal, they would have to do that. I have no doubt that they have a plan to do that in an emergency. That is a direct threat," Mr. Rubio said in an interview with SiriusXM Radio.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said there would be no discussion with the US chief diplomat regarding control of the canal.

"I cannot negotiate, much less open a negotiation process for the canal," he told reporters on Thursday. "This is a closed issue. The canal belongs to Panama."

The US special envoy for Latin America, Claver-Carone, warned during a press conference on Friday about the increase in Chinese companies in the Panama Canal region, which includes the port industry and telecommunications infrastructure. He said this poses a serious concern not only for the national security of the United States but also for Panama and the Western Hemisphere.

Some analysts say China has used economic and non-economic tactics throughout the Western Hemisphere to expand its influence, which has raised national security concerns.

"From a national security perspective, many of China's trade efforts are essentially military ambitions aimed at Latin America," says Joseph Humire with the Center for a Secure and Free Society, or SFS for short.

“China has had a presence in Panama for 20 years, but Beijing became politically active in Panama in 2017,” when Panama signed the Belt and Road Initiative with China and recognized Taiwan as part of China, Humire said. He said Panama’s economy has been in decline in recent years./ VOA


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