US warns of 'unacceptable risk' from Chinese control of Panama Canal ports, vows to counter influence

Washington DC: Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, during a visit to the Central American country, stated that China’s dominance over Panama Canal ports poses an unacceptable risk to US security.

As Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported, this highlighted the US’s commitment to enhancing its influence in the Western hemisphere.

The Panama Canal has emerged as a center of geopolitical conflict, as China’s participation in its ports raises US apprehensions regarding control and dominance over this vital global trade channel.

US President Donald Trump has often claimed that the United States is being charged excessively for using the Panama Canal and that China exerts influence over its management, according to RFA.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new US-funded dock at the Vasco Nunez de Balboa Naval Base following discussions with Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino, Hegseth declared that the US will not permit China or any other nation to jeopardize the canal’s operations. “To that end, the United States and Panama have made more progress in strengthening our defense and security collaboration in recent weeks than we have in decades,” he said. (ANI)

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