Jose Raul Mulino said he won't discuss control of the canal during the secretary of state's visit. Rubio, in contrast, said "we're going to address that topic."

Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino rejected negotiations over ownership of the Panama Canal, in the face of President Trump’s fixation on the U.S. retaking the trade waterway. Mulino’s remarks come ahead of a visit this weekend by Secretary of State Marco Rubio,

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday he had "zero doubt" that China has a contingency plan to shut down the Panama Canal in the event of a conflict with the U.S. and that Washington intends to address what it sees as a national security threat.