A cargo ship is towed at the Panama Canal's Agua Clara locks on Gatun Lake in Colon, Panama, on Jan. 29, 2025. On the eve of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino ruled out any negotiations with the U.S. over the canal.

A key focus of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Central America this week — his first trip as America’s top diplomat — will be to counter China’s growing influence in the region, the State Department’s top spokesperson said this week,

Secretary of State Rubio spoke with China's Director of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's trip to Central America, including Panama, is partially about countering China, a State Department spokesperson told Fox Business, as new President Donald Trump is pushing to "take back" the Panama Canal.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Central America aims to counter China's growing influence. Amid President Trump's agenda to 'take back' the Panama Canal, concerns rise over U.S. intentions.

In the telephone call, Rubio told Wang that the second Trump administration will pursue a relationship with China "that advances US interests and puts the American people first," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said. "The secretary also stressed ...

With Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Rubio discussed North Korea and "joint efforts against China's destabilizing actions," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said. China has had rising friction with the Philippines, a US ally, as it stakes ...

and China’s malign influence,” State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement. The U.K. government said that Lammy and Rubio look forward to meeting in person soon.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed Washington's commitment to Manila and condemned Beijing for its "dangerous and destabilising" actions in the Sea, in his first phone call with Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has demanded a ceasefire in Eastern DRC after M23 rebels reported to have taken over most of Goma, a major city key to the country’s vast mineral wealth.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino ruled out discussing control of the Panama Canal with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he visits the Central American country. "I cannot negotiate and much less open a process of negotiation on the Canal," Mulino said during his weekly press conference, saying the matter is "sealed."

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.