US Defense Secretary Hegseth Visits Panama as Trump Pushes to Counter China’s Influence in Panama Canal

China continues to pose a threat to the Panama Canal, but the United States and Panama will work together to keep it safe, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Tuesday. Following a meeting with Panama President José Raúl Mulino, Hegseth spoke at the ribbon-cutting of a new U.S.-financed dock at the Vasco Nuñez de Balboa Naval Base and declared that the United States would not "permit Communist China, or any other nation, to threaten the canal’s operation or integrity." He went on to say that the United States and Panama had improved their defense and security cooperation.