Follows warning from U.S. Southern Command about communist nation’s ‘interference’
By Francis Kapper, Daily Caller News Foundation
Chinese government officials are working to shore up their country’s grip over the Panama Canal, the South China Morning Post reported, as a battle over influence in the key waterway intensifies with
Washington.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha that Panama should not allow any third parties to influence the bilateral ties between China and Panama, the South China Morning Post reported, citing a Chinese Foreign Ministry readout on Wednesday. The discussion between the leaders comes as a dispute simmers over who will operate ports within the Panama Canal, with the U.S. playing an active role, according to the outlet.
Wang made the remarks to Martinez-Acha while attending a high-level United Nations Security Council meeting in New York, according to the SCMP.
“China has always maintained that China-Panama relations are not directed against any third party and should not be interfered with by any third party,” the SCMP reported, citing Wang.
Beijing has spent decades shoveling money into Latin America, with Chinese entities investing $148.9 billion in the region between 2005 and 2022, according to a June 2023 congressional report.
That investment spree has gained the attention of the Trump administration, which has sought to reassert American dominance in Latin America through the so-called “Donroe Doctrine” through military operations and economic tools like blockades.