Visit to Panama
US foreign minister discusses China’s influence on Panama Canal
Updated on 02.02.2025 – 8:48 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
The visit is about delicate topics: the Panama Canal and Migration. After the talks, President Mulino is optimistic. The situation of the “Chinese ports” in the canal is checked.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the Chinese presence in the Panama Canal with Panama. It was primarily about the control of the ports on both sides of the important waterway – and not the sovereignty over the canal, said Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino after the meeting. The situation of the ports is checked, said Mulino. He did not rule out the future participation of US companies there. The United States recently expressed concern about the China’s presence in the canal.
Mulino described the meeting as positive. There is no doubt that Panama’s waterway will be operated and that will stay that way, said Mulino. “I don’t think there were any discrepancies in this regard.” A bilateral technical specialist group is used to analyze the concerns of the United States more closely, especially with regard to the “Chinese ports”. Rubio should later visit one of the locks of the channel.
The Hong Kong company Hutchison Ports PPC has been running large container terminals on both sides of the channel since 1997. The company does not belong to the Chinese state, but a rich Hong Kong family. However, there are fears that the government in Beijing could also expand its influence on ports and shipping routes through private Chinese companies.
During the talks in the seat of government, dozens of demonstrators protested on the streets of Panama city with panamic flags against the claims of the US government on the Panama Canal. “This home is not for sale,” it said on banners, as was seen on television.
US President Donald Trump had recently placed claims on the Panama Canal and bluntly said several times that control over the important waterway should be in the USA. He did not rule out military commitment. “I don’t have the impression that there is currently a real threat,” said Mulino after the talks with Rubio. Above all, Trump criticizes the excessive influence of China on the waterway.
The 82 -kilometer channel connects the Atlantic with the Pacific in Central America. About three percent of the maritime world trade are handled by him. The waterway was built by the United States in the early 20th century. On December 31, 1999, the United States handed over the channel administration to Panama. The recently deceased Democratic US President Jimmy Carter had negotiated the transaction.
According to Mulino, the topic of migration was also discussed with Rubio. Panama is considered a strategic player in Central America when it comes to containing them. Under Mulino, the number of migrants who cross the life -threatening jungle between Colombia and Panama towards the USA has decreased significantly. His government tightened the border controls. In 2024, more than 300,000 people passed the jungle. That is around 40 percent less than in the previous year.
After visiting Panama, Rubio continues to Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. There, too, the topic of migration will play a central role in view of the mass deportations announced by Trump.