Thu Jan 16 19:06:34 UTC 2025: ## Blinken Dismisses Trump’s Panama Canal Seizure Threats as “Bluster”
**WASHINGTON D.C.** – Outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken dismissed President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to seize the Panama Canal as mere bluster, stating that existing treaties and long-standing U.S. policy remain unchanged. In a farewell press conference Thursday, Blinken downplayed the seriousness of Trump’s comments, made earlier this month in Florida, where the President-elect refused to rule out using force to take control of the canal, and even Greenland.
Trump’s threats stem from concerns about growing Chinese influence in the region. However, Blinken emphasized the Biden administration’s focus on diversifying global supply chains as a more effective response to this challenge, rather than resorting to military action. He argued that this strategy is where attention should be directed.
This stance differs sharply from that of Trump’s incoming Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. During his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, Rubio described the Panama Canal issue as “very serious,” raising concerns about the potential for Chinese companies to control surrounding ports and disrupt canal operations at Beijing’s behest. He called for a serious confrontation of this issue.
The Panama Canal, inaugurated in 1914, was fully transferred to Panamanian control in 1999 under an agreement championed by President Jimmy Carter. The differing approaches of the outgoing and incoming administrations highlight a potential shift in U.S. foreign policy towards the crucial waterway and its strategic importance.
First Piper 