Panama Canal

Panama Canal set to enter ports business as Trump-China feud simmers

Though China has no role in operating the canal, Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd has operated ports on the Atlantic and Pacific sides

Panama assures support as Indian MPs convey strong anti-terror message

Panama has assured India of its support for the "war against terror" as an all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor met National Assembly President Dana Castaneda here to convey New Delhi's strong message of zero-tolerance for terrorism. The delegation reached the Central American country on Tuesday. It is one of the seven multi-party delegations India has tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead. In an early Thursday morning post on X, Tharoor said the delegation called on Castaneda, who was accompanied by senior members of Parliament Edwin Vergara and Julio de la Guardia, and "explained our mission to her and received strong assurances of understanding and support for India's war against terror". During the meeting on Wednesday, the Congress MP presented the National Assembly President with a Kashmiri shawl, and she reciprocated with a warrior symbol. "After I ..

Will not renegotiate security deal with US, despite protests: Panama prez

Panama President Jos Ral Mulino has said he will not renegotiate an agreement with the United States to give US troops access to Panamanian facilities, despite protests charging that he compromised the country's sovereignty. On Tuesday, thousands of Panamanians marched in the capital in the largest protest yet against an agreement signed during last month's visit by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The US embassy followed with a statement Wednesday saying that the agreement did not allow for establishing military bases in Panama. A US military presence in Panama is sensitive, since people still remember the US invasion in 1989 and US President Donald Trump has suggested that the US take back control of the Panama Canal. "Panama's sovereignty is not at stake, it's not handed over, it's not given," Mulino said during his weekly press conference on Thursday. He insisted the agreement would not lead to US bases in Panama. The locations where US troops and contractors will have access

Trump demands free passage for US ships through Panama, Suez canals

Trump's focus has been on Chinese commercial shipping and shipbuilding, with the ultimate goal of promoting a revival of US shipbuilding

China poses threat to Panama Canal, says US defense secretary Hegseth

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the Panama Canal faces ongoing threats from China, but that together the US and Panama will keep it secure. Speaking at a ribbon cutting for a new US-financed dock at the Vasco Nuez de Balboa Naval Base after a meeting with Panama President Jos Ral Mulino, Hegseth said the US will not allow China or any other country to threaten the canal's operation. "To 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," he said. Hegseth alluded to ports at either end of the canal that are controlled by a Hong Kong consortium, which is in the process of selling its controlling stake to another consortium including BlackRock Inc. China-based companies continue to control critical infrastructure in the canal area," Hegseth said. "That gives China the potential to conduct surveillance activities across Panama. This makes Panama and the United States less ..

Hegseth to travel to Panama for meetings after Trump's demands for canal

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will travel to Panama next week to meet with leaders of the Central American country following recent Trump administration allegations of Chinese interference in the operations of the critical Panama Canal shipping lane. President Donald Trump has complained about the US relinquishing control of the waterway to Panama more than 20 years ago and has threatened to retake it, arguing that the US was being overcharged for using it. Panama's government has denied Trump's assertion that China exerts influence over the canal. Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, said Friday that Hegseth will participate in the 2025 Central American Security Conference. He said Hegseth will take part in meetings that will drive ongoing efforts to strengthen our partnerships with Panama and other Central American nations toward our shared vision for a peaceful and secure Western Hemisphere. He did not mention the canal, which was built by the US in the early 1900s as it look

Hutchison sold the Panama Canal ports to a US firm, and China is furious

The deal will see BlackRock take control of Hong Kong's CK Hutchison's 43 container ports across 23 countries, including the key Balboa and Cristobal docks of the Panama Canal

Trump hails 'reclaiming' of Panama Canal after BlackRock deal to buy stake

The deal will give the US consortium control of key Panama Canal ports amid White House calls to remove them from what it says is Chinese ownership

CK Hutchison sells Panama Canal ports to BlackRock amid Trump pressure

The consortium will also acquire 90% of Panama Ports Co., which operates the two ports in Balboa and Cristobal

US deports Indian immigrants to Panama, Opposition asks 'What's going on'?

US President Donald Trump's deportation efforts have sparked numerous controversies, especially over allegations of inhumane treatment of migrants by US military officials

Will take canal back or something powerful will happen, Trump warns Panama

Military intervention would likely not be required but Panama has breached its agreement with the US, said President Donald Trump

Panama must reduce Chinese influence around canal or face US action: Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Panamanian President Jos Ral Mulino on Sunday that the Central American ally must immediately reduce Chinese influence over the Panama Canal area or face potential retaliation from the Trump administration. Rubio, on his first foreign trip as America's top diplomat, held face-to-face talks with Mulino, who has resisted pressure from the new US government over Panama's management of a waterway that is vital to global trade. Mulino told reporters after the meeting that Rubio made no real threat of retaking the canal or the use of force. Speaking on behalf of President Donald Trump, who has demanded that the canal be returned to U.S. control, Rubio told Mulino that Trump had made a preliminary determination that China's presence in the canal area violates a treaty that led to the United States turning the waterway over to Panama in 1999. That treaty calls for the permanent neutrality of the American-built canal, which Rubio planned to tour later .

Trump's desire for Greenland, Panama Canal legit amid China concerns: Rubio

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. Ahead of a trip to Central America that will start in Panama this weekend, Rubio said Thursday that he could not predict if Trump would succeed in buying Greenland from Denmark or restoring American authority over the Panama Canal while he is office. But he said the attention that Trump will give to both would have an impact. What I think you can rest assured of is that four years from now, our interest in the Arctic will be more secure; our interest in the Panama Canal will be more secure, Rubio said in an interview with SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly. Rubio will arrive in Panama on Saturday on his first official foreign trip as America's top diplomat, signalling the importance that both he and Trump place o

There will be no negotiation about ownership of canal, says Panama's prez

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino said Thursday there will be no negotiation with the United States over ownership of the Panama Canal, and he hopes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's upcoming visit will allow them to focus on shared interests including migration and combating drug trafficking. Being the destination for the first overseas visit by the top US diplomat would have been big for Panama in any case, but Rubio comes as the emissary of US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly suggested the US retake the Panama Canal. On the day of his inauguration, Trump claimed that US ships were being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form, noting that "above all, China is operating the Panama Canal. He had previously said the US could demand the canal be returned. Mulino tried to downplay the tension at his weekly press conference Thursday. He spoke of wanting to clarify confusion about China's role in the canal a Hong Kong consortium manages ports a

US has options to address Chinese influence in Panama, says official

President Donald Trump has vowed that the United States would take back the Panama Canal but has given no further details on when or how he intended to reclaim the canal

Can Trump legally rename the Gulf of Mexico and take back the Panama Canal?

Donald Trump has stirred the pot by bringing up the hotly debated ideas of renaming the Gulf of Mexico and 'reclaiming' the Panama Canal. Find out what the law has to say about these proposals

Canada, Panama, and Greenland: Donald Trump expands his 'Maga' wishlist

Donald Trump wishlist includes acquiring Greenland, reclaiming control of the Panama Canal, and even annexing Canada as the 51st state

Trump declines to rule out military action to take Panama Canal, Greenland

He reiterated his interest in making Canada into a US state and criticized American spending on Canadian goods and military support for Canada, one of the country's closest allies

Why does the Panama Canal matter so much to the world?

The Panama Canal—a 51-mile or 82 km engineering marvel that powers global trade. For over a century, this narrow strip of water has bridged the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Panama marks 25 years of Canal handover as Trump wants to take it back

Panama on Tuesday celebrated the 25th anniversary of the US handover of the Panama Canal, which president-elect Donald Trump has threatened to take back. The commemoration was made more poignant by the death on Sunday of former US President Jimmy Carter, who negotiated the 1999 handover deal. On this, such a special day ... a mix of happiness for this 25th anniversary of having the canal in Panamanian hands, and the sadness we feel for the death of former president Jimmy Carter, said Panama's president, Jos Ral Mulino. The ceremony included a moment of silence for Carter, who reached the handover deal with former Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos. Speaking at the main anniversary celebration in Panama City, Mulino said the two men had the vision and nobility to take the road of justice." Meanwhile, Trump is decrying increased fees Panama has imposed to use the waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He has said if things don't change after he takes office in late January,