Sun Feb 02 16:44:08 UTC 2025: ## US Seeks to Reclaim Panama Canal Control, Sparking Tensions
**Panama City, Panama** – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Panama Sunday to initiate talks aimed at fulfilling President Donald Trump’s demand for the United States to regain control of the Panama Canal. The visit comes amidst escalating tensions, with Panama firmly rejecting any US claims to its sovereignty.
Rubio’s meeting with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino and Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha yielded no immediate public statements. However, the talks follow Trump’s repeated threats to seize the canal, citing concerns about China’s growing influence in the region and the potential for disruption to US trade. Approximately 40% of US container traffic transits the canal.
Trump’s assertion that Panama has violated past agreements regarding the canal, transferred to Panamanian control in 1999, has been met with staunch opposition. Panama has undertaken an audit of a Hong Kong-based company operating ports near the canal, but Trump deemed this insufficient. Protests erupted in Panama City before Rubio’s arrival, with demonstrators burning an effigy of the Secretary of State and vowing to defend national sovereignty.
The US position contrasts sharply with the 1999 agreement under President Jimmy Carter, which transferred canal control to Panama. Trump’s approach has been described as reminiscent of early 20th-century US foreign policy, characterized by strong-arm tactics in Latin America. This aggressive stance is further evidenced by recent actions such as threats of tariffs against Colombia and the imposition of sanctions against Canada, Mexico, and China.
Rubio’s trip to Panama is the first leg of a wider Latin American tour, where he will also press for cooperation on Trump’s immigration policies. The situation remains highly volatile, with the future of the Panama Canal and US-Panamanian relations hanging in the balance.
First Piper 