International
Marco Rubio leaves Panama after distancing from China and giving priority to his ships in the Canal
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, concluded his official visit to Panama on Monday after ensuring that the Central American country has committed itself not to renew a trade agreement with China and to work with the US Navy to “optimize the priority” of the transit of its ships through the Channel.
The Government of Panama has wanted to bring positions closer to Rubio in an attempt to reduce tensions over Donald Trump’s threats to “recover” the Panama Canal due to the alleged presence of China, denied by the Panamanian authorities and which seems to have its origin in the Hong Kong business administration in two ports near the road.
Thus, the epicenter of Rubio’s visit to the Central American country, and also of his meeting with the Panamanian president, José Raúl Mulino, have been the controversy around the interoceanic route, China and migration, another issue that marks the agenda of the US Secretary of State on the tour he makes through Central America.
After the meeting between the two officials last Sunday, Panama communicated its intention not to renew the economic cooperation agreement with China on the New Silk Road signed in 2017, under the mandate of then-President Juan Carlos Varela, whom Mulino himself has blamed for that crisis with the United States.
Rubio applauded this decision on Monday and described it as a “great step forward for US-Panama relations, and for a free Panama Canal.”
Thus, given the concerns expressed by the United States about the two ports of the canal, operated by a Chinese company, Mulino informed Rubio at that meeting that there are audits in progress and that it cannot be pronounced until they are concluded.
Mulino indirectly referred to the company CK Hutchison Holdings, a multinational based in Hong Kong that operates two ports at the entrances of the Pacific and the Atlantic of the Channel, and that has been in the process of being audited by the Panamanian authorities for weeks.
Although the Panamanian president announced that the meeting was “cordial and respectful,” Rubio launched a harsh message demanding Mulino to “immediate changes” to counter the alleged Chinese influence in the Panama Canal. Two very distant communications after the meeting.
For its part, China said on Monday that Panama’s withdrawal from the Silk Road initiative promoted by its Government before what it calls “the global South” is “a regrettable decision,” in the words of its ambassador to the UN, Fu Cong, during a press conference in New York.
Panama’s decision not to renew the cooperation agreement with China of this initiative to which it joined in 2017 was one of the promises that the US Foreign Minister, Marco Rubio, made yesterday with the Panamanian president, José Raúl Mulino.
For his part, Cong indicated that behind the Silk Road there is “no political agenda”, contrary to the “defamation campaign launched by the United States and other Western countries.”
On the contrary – he reasoned – the Silk Road “is an economic initiative whose purpose is to build a platform for countries, especially those of the global South, to promote economic cooperation among themselves.”
The ambassador also referred to the accusations made by President Donald Trump and his team that China controls the Panama Canal, something he said “is totally false.”
“China has not participated in either the management or operation of the Panama Canal, and has never interfered in the affairs of the canal,” the diplomat clarified, thus coming out in step with Trump’s main argument to claim his right to “recover” the Panama Canal for the United States.
China – the ambassador said – “respects Panama’s sovereignty and recognizes the Canal as a neutral international infrastructure,” he insisted.
After the meeting with Rubio, Mulino declared that “Panama’s sovereignty is not in question,” a message that agrees with his speech since Trump threatened to regain US control of the interoceanic route.
In addition, the Panamanian president felt that there is “no real threat at this time against the treaty, the validity, and much less the use of military force to seize the Channel” and clarified that “there is no doubt that the channel is operated by our country and will remain so,” two of the great fears behind Trump’s intentions.
Rubio also visited the Panama Canal and met with the waterway authorities, who pledged to work with the US Navy to “optimize the priority in the transit of their ships” through the interoceanic route.
The United States is one of the main customers of the Panama Canal and the route “an important driver of the trade relationship” between the two countries, since at the end of fiscal year 2024, 52% of transits through the Channel registered ports with origin-destination in the United States, and more than 76% of the cargo that transited through the Channel had that country as origin-destination.
During the meeting at the presidential palace of Las Garzas, the Panamanian president offered Rubio to strengthen cooperation in the deportation of migrants, since Panama and the United States maintain an agreement to return passers-by who have crossed the dangerous jungle of Darién, the natural border with Colombia, on flights paid for by the North American country.
Even this Monday before leaving for El Salvador, Rubio was present on one of those flights framed within the agreement and admitted that “to a certain extent, our border does not begin in Texas and Mexico, it begins much earlier.”
This memorandum between both countries was signed on July 1, the same day of the inauguration of Mulino. Since it was launched on August 20, the United States has financed almost 2.7 million dollars in flights and tickets for the return of 1,729 migrants to their countries of origin, according to information from the US government.
Panama has been Marco Rubio’s first stop on his tour of Central America, which has been in El Salvador since Monday, and then continues to Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.
For her part, the Chinese ambassador to Panama, Xu Xueyuan, asked Washington to “learn to respect” the decisions of countries like Panama to cooperate with China, with whom she maintains ties “based on the principles of equality, respect and mutual benefit.”
“The United States cannot tolerate Panama cooperating with China. The establishment of relations between China and Panama was transparent and honest, without covert operations or money transactions,” said the ambassador in the newspaper ‘La Estrella de Panamá’, according to the website of the Chinese delegation in that country today.
In 2017, Panama broke off diplomatic relations with Taiwan to establish them with China, which was an important diplomatic victory for Beijing.
In addition, Panama joined the New Silk Roads initiative months later, but after yesterday’s meeting between the president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, and the head of US diplomacy, Marco Rubio, the country communicated its intention to withdraw from the Chinese project.
“A US delegation visited Panama, bringing a greater impact than a tropical storm,” said Xu, who also assures that “respecting the permanent neutrality of the Panama Canal is a solemn commitment from China.”
International
Iranian leader warns foreign powers have “no place” in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said Thursday that the Persian Gulf is entering a new era marked by a “bright” future without the presence of the United States in the region.
His remarks came during the commemoration of Persian Gulf Day, amid ongoing regional tensions following recent military confrontations involving Iran, the United States, and Israel.
“Today, two months after the largest military buildup and aggression by the bullies of the world in the region and the humiliating defeat of the United States, a new chapter is being written for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” Khamenei stated.
The Iranian leader insisted that the future of the region would be free from American influence and focused instead on the internal development and prosperity of Gulf nations.
“By the power and strength of God, the bright future of the Persian Gulf region will be a future without the United States and dedicated to the progress, welfare, and prosperity of its nations,” he said.
Khamenei also questioned the effectiveness of U.S. military bases in the region, arguing that they do not provide security even for Washington’s allies.
“Foreigners who come from thousands of miles away and commit evil and malicious acts have no place there except at the bottom of its waters,” he declared.
In addition, the Iranian leader defended new measures being prepared by Tehran to regulate maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, including fees for vessels passing through the strategic waterway. According to Khamenei, the policies would generate economic benefits and greater stability for the region.
Regional tensions remain high following the conflict that erupted on February 28 between the United States and Israel against Iran, leading to strategic blockades in the Strait of Hormuz, a route through which nearly 20% of the world’s oil supply previously passed. The situation has disrupted maritime trade and contributed to rising global oil prices.
Central America
U.S. and Regional Allies Back Panama Amid Dispute With China
The United States, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago issued a joint statement in support of Panama’s sovereignty, arguing that China’s recent actions represent an attempt to politicize maritime trade and undermine the sovereignty of nations in the hemisphere.
“We are closely monitoring China’s selective economic pressure and recent actions affecting vessels flying the Panamanian flag,” the statement released Tuesday said. “Panama is a pillar of our maritime trading system and, as such, must remain free from undue external pressure.”
The statement comes amid growing tensions surrounding the Panama Canal and the operation of key ports linked to global trade.
At the end of January, Panama’s Supreme Court invalidated the legal framework supporting the 1997 concession that granted Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, the right to operate the Balboa and Cristóbal terminals located on the Pacific and Atlantic entrances of the Panama Canal.
The ruling followed mounting pressure from the United States to curb Chinese influence around the strategic waterway, through which roughly 5% of global maritime trade passes.
CK Hutchison, which managed the ports for nearly three decades, rejected the court’s decision and accused Panamanian authorities of illegally confiscating its assets. The company has launched international arbitration proceedings against Panama, seeking more than $2 billion in damages.
Following the court ruling, reports emerged of increased detentions and inspections of Panamanian-flagged vessels in China, actions widely viewed as retaliatory measures.
On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the joint statement as “completely unfounded and misleading,” accusing the United States of politicizing port operations and warning that Beijing would take steps to protect its interests in Panama.
International
King Charles III Says U.S.-UK Alliance Is “Irreplaceable and Unbreakable”
King Charles III of the United Kingdom reaffirmed the strength of the British-American relationship on Tuesday during a speech before the United States Congress, describing the alliance between the two nations as “irreplaceable and unbreakable.”
The address, delivered at the Capitol, marked the first speech by a British monarch before Congress since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 and comes at a time of political tensions between Donald Trump’s administration and the Labour government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“As President Trump himself observed during his state visit to Britain last autumn, the bond of kinship and identity between the United States and the United Kingdom is invaluable and eternal. It is irreplaceable and unbreakable,” the king said.
While reflecting on the upcoming 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, which will be commemorated this year, Charles III stated that the partnership between the two countries “was born out of disagreement, but is no less strong because of it.”
The monarch emphasized the democratic values shared by both nations and noted that major global changes have occurred whenever the two allies found common ground.
“When we have found that way to agree, great changes have taken place not only for the benefit of our peoples, but for all peoples,” he said.
King Charles also quoted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who recently described the relationship as “an indispensable alliance.”
Concluding his speech, the monarch described the shared history of the United States and the United Kingdom as “a story of reconciliation, renewal, and an extraordinary partnership.”
He added that Washington and London have forged “one of the most consequential alliances in human history.”
“I pray with all my heart that our alliance continues to defend our shared values, together with our partners in Europe, the Commonwealth, and around the world, and that we ignore calls urging us to become increasingly isolationist,” Charles III stated.
The king ended by urging both nations to “recommit to one another in selfless service to our peoples and to all peoples of the world.”
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