Secretary of State Marco Rubio embarks soon on his inaugural trip as the United States’ top diplomat. His first stop, Panama could prove to be the most contentious on the itinerary.

Panama President José Raúl Mulino says there will be no negotiation with the United States over ownership of the Panama Canal

China's presence around the Panama Canal is a national security concern that Panama's government has to deal with, Mauricio Claver-Carone, the U.S. special envoy for Latin America, said on Friday, ahead of U.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, discussed a scenario in which China could disrupt U.S. trade by blocking off the canal.

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.

President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Gen. Omar Torrijos after signing the Panama Canal Treaty in Washington in 1977. (Bettmann Archive / Getty) Several international companies that now manage ports along the canal, including the Seattle-based SSA ...

The new administration's immigration crackdown is likely to be among the top issues during talks, but US President Donald Trump's claim that the Central American nation had ceded control of the Panama Canal to China will also loom large.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio embarks this weekend on his first foreign trip in office, heading to Central America to press President Donald Trump's top priority — curbing illegal immigration — and bring the message that the U.S. wants to reclaim control over the Panama Canal despite intense resistance from regional leaders.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio claimed to a US radio station this week that China could potentially “shut down the Panama Canal” in any conflict. Ahead of a trip to Panama this weekend, he added: “And in fact, I have zero doubt that they have contingency planning to do so. That is a direct threat.”

While repeating Trump’s lies about Panama, Senate leaders from both parties provide fraudulent justifications for a military intervention against the impoverished Central American country.

Trump says this disruption will provide big benefits for the United States. But will it? Ivo Daalder, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, and I have a new piece in Foreign Affairs addressing that question. Color us skeptical that Trump’s moves will produce the bonanza he predicts.