1 week Ago By France 24
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that the Panama Canal "faces ongoing threats" from China. The statement triggered a fiery response from Beijing, which claimed that the attempt to "sabotage" Chinese-Panamanian cooperation was rooted in the US' own geopolitical interests. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the Panama Canal faces ongoing threats from China but that together the United States and Panama will keep it secure.
Hegseth's remarks triggered a fiery response from the Chinese government, which said: “Who represents the real threat to the Canal? People will make their own judgement.” Speaking at a ribbon cutting for a new US-financed dock at the Vasco Nuñez de Balboa Naval Base after a meeting with Panama President José Raúl Mulino, Hegseth said the US will not allow China or any other country to threaten the canal's operation. "To this end, the United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security cooperation than we have in decades," he said.
Hegseth alluded to ports at either end of the canal that are controlled by a Hong Kong consortium, which is in the process of selling its controlling stake to another consortium including BlackRock Inc. Hegseth met with Mulino for two hours Tuesday morning before heading to the naval base that previously had been the US Rodman Naval Station. Read more on FRANCE 24 English Read also: Panama Canal caught in power struggle as US and China vie for trade dominance Global trade upended as Trump's tariffs of 104% on China, 20% on EU take effect.
