In a fiery declaration underscoring rising global tensions, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned on Tuesday that the Panama Canal faces \u201congoing threats\u201d from China \u2014 a claim that has drawn sharp rebuke from Beijing and fueled geopolitical friction in the strategically vital region.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new U.S.-funded dock at the Vasco N\u00fa\u00f1ez de Balboa Naval Base, Hegseth stated that the United States \u201cwill not allow China or any other country to threaten the canal\u2019s operation,\u201d calling the site a vital artery for global commerce and security.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo this end, the United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security cooperation than we have in decades,\u201d Hegseth told reporters following a two-hour meeting with Panamanian President Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino.<\/p>\n
The comments prompted an immediate and angry response from the Chinese government. In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), China\u2019s embassy in Panama accused the United States of \u201cblackmail\u201d and \u201csensationalism,\u201d insisting that Panama\u2019s international partnerships are a \u201csovereign decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho represents the real threat to the Canal? People will make their own judgment,\u201d the embassy wrote, accusing Washington of manufacturing a so-called \u201ctheoretical Chinese threat\u201d to serve its geopolitical interests.<\/p>\n
At the heart of the escalating tension is a Hong Kong-based consortium that holds a long-term lease on ports at both ends of the Panama Canal. That consortium, which has come under increasing scrutiny, announced it is selling its controlling stake to a group including U.S. investment giant BlackRock Inc.<\/p>\n
U.S. officials, including Hegseth, have voiced concern that Chinese-controlled infrastructure around the canal could be used for surveillance or influence operations. \u201cThat gives China the potential to conduct surveillance activities across Panama. This makes Panama and the United States less secure,\u201d Hegseth warned.<\/p>\n
Panama has downplayed the risks, with President Mulino repeatedly denying that China has operational influence over the canal. \u201cWe aren\u2019t going to speak about what is not reality, but rather those issues that interest both countries,\u201d he said earlier this year.<\/p>\n
The visit comes as President Donald Trump intensifies rhetoric around the canal. He has claimed the U.S. is being overcharged for access and has even floated the controversial idea of reclaiming control over the waterway a suggestion that has drawn widespread international criticism.<\/p>\n
Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously told Mulino that Trump believes China\u2019s presence could violate the 1977 Panama Canal Treaty, which guarantees the canal\u2019s neutrality and led to its handover from the U.S. to Panama in 1999.<\/p>\n
Hegseth concluded his speech with a pointed message: \u201cI want to be very clear: China did not build this canal. China does not operate this canal. And China will not weaponize this canal.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that the U.S., in partnership with Panama, would ensure the canal remains open and secure \u201cthrough the deterrent power of the strongest, most effective, and most lethal fighting force in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the United States steps up its military and diplomatic presence in Panama, the once-neutral canal is fast becoming the center of a larger global power struggle between Washington and Beijing \u2014 with ripple effects reaching far beyond the waters that divide the Americas.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a fiery declaration underscoring rising global tensions, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned on Tuesday that the Panama Canal faces \u201congoing threats\u201d from China \u2014 a claim that has drawn sharp rebuke from Beijing and fueled geopolitical friction in the strategically vital region. Speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new U.S.-funded dock<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_3558452337540614_100649324928663":"","twitter_1160854738579181570_1160854738579181570":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,23],"tags":[285,765,665,266,764,766],"class_list":["post-12000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-usa-canada","category-world-news","tag-amnewsworld","tag-china","tag-pentagon","tag-reporters","tag-tension","tag-usa"],"yoast_head":"\n