Rubio's stop in Panama also comes as Trump in recent weeks has said he wants the Panama Canal back under U.S. control, claiming that “American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way,

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's visit to Central America comes after President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to take the Panama Canal back.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will likely travel to Central America in the first week of February, a source familiar with the planning said.

Marco Rubio will travel to Panama on his first trip abroad as secretary of State. The visit comes as Donald Trump looks to reclaim Panama's canal.

Panama President José Raúl Mulino has a message for Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of his impending diplomatic visit: The Panama Canal is not up for discussion. “It’s impossible,” Munilo said in Spanish at a press conference in Panama City on Thursday.

“China controls the Panama Canal. What's that all about ... the president of El Salvador. Both Guatemala and El Salvador are key transit countries for migrants making their way north to the ...

It was in 2020 when Beijing twice sanctioned the then Florida senator for pushing a bill banning Chinese officials from entering the United States an

When Marco Rubio arrives in Latin America this weekend on his first foreign trip as Donald Trump's secretary of state, he'll

Panama's president has ruled out any negotiations with the USA on the Panama Canal. "Panama's sovereignty (...) is clear, there is no discussion on

Traditionally, when US secretaries of state make their international debuts, they travel to major US allies and offer bromides about working together.