Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged that the Trump administration would “take back” the Panama Canal from “China’s influence” on Tuesday during a visit to the key shipping lane.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the Panama Canal faces ongoing threats from China but that together the United States and Panama will keep it secure. Hegseth’s remarks triggered a ...

PANAMA CITY — U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said April 8 the Panama Canal faces ongoing threats from China, but together the U.S. and Panama will keep it secure. Speaking at a ribbon ...

When Donald Trump announced his intention to “take back” the Panama Canal from China, I had to chuckle. My old friend Linc, who had died in 2005, was having the last laugh after all.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will travel to Panama next week, as President Donald Trump says America is “reclaiming” the country’s eponymous canal. (Kevin Wolf/AP) Defense Secretary Pete ...

Danish shipping powerhouse A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S purchased a railway linking ports at both ends of the Panama Canal, undermining the United States’ presence along a key trade route where Donald ...

The "Panama Canal Repurchase Act," a bill that was recently introduced in Congress, would give Trump the authority to negotiate with appropriate Panamanian government officials to reacquire the ...

The Pentagon is reportedly exploring military options for the Panama Canal to ensure ongoing US access to the strategically important waterway, following a request from the White House.

Panama’s government has denied Trump's assertion that China exerts influence over the canal. Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, said Friday that Hegseth will participate in the 2025 Central ...

President Trump’s escalating rhetoric over the Panama Canal has transformed diplomatic tensions into a full-blown crisis. Trump’s assertion during his March 5 congressional address that “to ...

It is a key part of Panama’s economy. In 2024, the canal earned nearly $5 billion in total profits. According to a study released in December by IDB Invest, 23.6% of Panama’s annual income is ...