Rubio Demands Panama to Reduce Chinese Influence Over Canal or US Will Act

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio kicked off his trip to Latin America by meeting with Panamanian leaders, pressing them to urgently address China’s influence over the region. The top U.S. diplomat shared his national security concerns with Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino and Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha in a Panama City meeting on Sunday. Rubio told them that President Donald Trump has determined that “the current position of influence and control of the Chinese Communist Party over the Panama Canal area is a threat to the canal,” according to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce....