Washington Rejects ‘Chinese Influence’ in Panama Canal
The United States will not allow China to “threaten” the operations of the Panama Canal, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned adding that his country does “not seek war with China” but will act to deter Chinese “threats” in the Americas.
“We do not seek war with China…But together, we must prevent war by robustly and vigorously deterring China’s threats in this hemisphere,” Hegseth said on the second day of his visit to Panama, whose canal is at the center of a row between China and the United States.
“Today, the Panama Canal faces ongoing threats,” Hegseth said in a speech at a police station located at the entry to the shipping route.
“The United States of America will not allow communist China or any other country to threaten the canal’s operation or integrity,” he added.
US and Chinese firms fight for business on the waterway after President Donald Trump threatened to seize it.
His administration has vowed to “take back” control of the interoceanic waterway that the United States funded, built and controlled until 1999.
