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Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino on Sunday, making it clear that the U.S. won’t tolerate China’s growing influence over the Panama Canal.
“SecretaryRubioinformedPresidentMulinoandMinisterMartínez-AchathatPresidentTrumphasmadeapreliminarydeterminationthatthecurrentpositionofinfluenceandcontroloftheChineseCommunistPartyoverthePanamaCanalareaisathreattothecanalandrepresentsaviolationoftheTreatyConcerningthePermanentNeutralityandOperationofthePanamaCanal,”theStateDepartmentsaidinastatement.“SecretaryRubiomadeclearthatthisstatusquoisunacceptableandthatabsentimmediatechanges,itwouldrequiretheUnitedStatestotakemeasuresnecessarytoprotectitsrightsundertheTreaty.”
TheAssociatedPresshadaninterestingtakeonthesituation:
Thestatementwasunusuallybluntindiplomaticterms,butinkeepingwiththetenorandtoneTrumphassetforforeignpolicy.TrumphasbeenincreasingpressureonWashington’sneighborsandallies,includingthecanaldemandandannouncingSaturdaythathewasimposingmajortariffso