Secretary of State Marco Rubio discusses the Panama Canal issue with President Mulino
If the Panamanian president refuses to allow negotiations over the Canal, the head of Washington's diplomacy has argued that the two ports operated by Chinese companies near the Canal pose a potential threat.

Marco Rubio is received by President Mulino in Panama.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino on Sunday to discuss immigration through the Darien Gap, the Panama Canal and China's influence in the region.
Rubio, who arrived in Panama the night before on his first trip abroad as Secretary of State, was welcomed by the president at the Palacio de las Garzas in the historic district of Panama City.
Rubio kicked off a six-day tour in Panama, which will also include visits to El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. His agenda focuses on the Panama Canal, migration, combating organized crime, and addressing China's growing influence in the region.
In statements made before his presidential inauguration, Trump did not rule out the use of military force to "recover" the Panama Canal, which was built by the United States, inaugurated in 1914, and handed over to Panama on December 31, 1999, under bilateral treaties.
Ahead of the meeting with Rubio, the Panamanian president reaffirmed his stance on the Panama Canal. "It's impossible," Mulino told a news conference in Panama City on Thursday. "I cannot negotiate, much less open a negotiation process, about the canal. That is sealed. The canal belongs to Panama."
President Mulino added that, to date, he has received no information from the U.S. Embassy in Panama or the State Department regarding the presence of foreign military forces near the Canal.
China's influence over the Canal
However, the White House has expressed concerns over China's presence near the Panama Canal, as two nearby ports are operated by companies headquartered in Hong Kong. According to Secretary of State Rubio, China could leverage these ports to shut down the canal—a critical route for U.S. shipping—in the event of a conflict between Beijing and Washington.
After his meeting with Mulino, Rubio will visit liquefied natural gas facilities in Colón on the Caribbean coast. Later in the afternoon, he will tour the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal in the capital.