As for operations, the authority of the Panama channel is the autonomous authorized entity that administers the channel. It relies on the Panamanian Constitution and the natural regulation of 1997.
Trump’s assertion is diminished to the truth that two of the 5 ports on the two ends of the channel are managed by a subsidiary of a conglomerate primarily based in Hong Kong Ck Hutchison, with posts in 52 ports in 26 nations.
At his affirmation listening to for the place of Secretary of State, Marco Rubio raised considerations concerning the “skill to rework the channel into a degree of suffocation right into a second of battle” by means of the businesses that “non -independent”.
Concerns beneath for the Chinese presence in Latin America
Trump’s statements concerning the Panama channel may be uncertain, but it surely must be seen as a stenography for a extra assertive coverage of Latin America to reject the increasing presence of China within the area.
In 2017, Panama modified the diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras adopted.
The following 12 months, Panama enrolled in Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, once more within the area to do it once more. In December 2024, 21 different Latin America nations had joined the initiative.
