Published : 10 Apr 2025, 05:55 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 12:49 PM
US Defence Secretary Peter Hegseth said on Wednesday he sees the Panama Canal as key terrain that Panama should secure together with the United States and not with China, adding it was important to protect it from "malign" influence.
"We are helping to take back the Panama Canal from communist Chinese influence," Hegseth told a press briefing in Panama City. The Panamanian government has strongly rejected US allegations the key waterway is controlled by China.
