Rubio will arrive in Panama on Saturday for meetings the following day with Mulino and the canal administrator. He will then travel to El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told Panama’s president in a face-to-face meeting that the Central American ally must reduce alleged Chinese influence over the Panama Canal or face ...

"The canal belongs to Panama.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks after being sworn in by Vice President JD Vance in the Vice Presidential Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office ...

Panama’s president rules out canal discussion with Rubio during upcoming visit A cargo ship traverses the Agua Clara Locks of the Panama Canal in Colon, Panama, Sept. 2, 2024.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Panama Canal Authority Administrator Ricuarte Vásquez, left, tour the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal in Panama City, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told Panama’s president in a face-to-face meeting that the Central American ally must reduce alleged Chinese influence over the Panama Canal or face ...

Rubio added that “if China wanted to obstruct traffic in the Panama Canal, they could,” and that would be a violation of the 1977 treaty signed by former President Jimmy Carter under which the ...

Panama’s President Jose Mulino, left, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrive for a meeting at the presidential palace in Panama City, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told Panama’s president that the country must reduce Chinese influence over the Panama Canal area or face potential retaliation from the Trump administration.