By Al Ahed Staff, Agencies
China has launched a scathing rebuke of the United States following heightened rhetoric from Washington about alleged Chinese influence over the Panama Canal, denouncing the claims as baseless, politically motivated and rooted in geopolitical opportunism.
In a strongly worded statement posted on X, the Chinese Embassy in Panama accused the US of resorting to "blackmail" and sensationalism in an effort to undermine Chinese-Panamanian cooperation.
“The US has carried out a sensationalistic campaign about the ‘theoretical Chinese threat’ in an attempt to sabotage Chinese-Panamanian cooperation,” the embassy stated. “Who Panama does business with is a sovereign decision … and something the US doesn't have the right to interfere in.”
The angry response came after US War Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered forceful remarks during a visit to Panama, in which he reaffirmed Washington’s vow to “take back” the canal from what he described as growing Chinese influence.
Speaking at the inauguration of a new US-financed dock at the Vasco Núñez de Balboa Naval Base, Hegseth declared: “China did not build this canal. China does not operate this canal. And China will not weaponize this canal… Together we will take back the Panama Canal from China’s influence.”
Hegseth’s comments echo repeated threats from US President Donald Trump, who earlier this year refused to rule out the use of military force to “protect national security interests” in the region.
According to reports, Trump has directed the Pentagon to “provide credible military options” to ensure unfettered US military and commercial access to the strategic waterway.
Following those directives, Hegseth confirmed that multiple US Navy vessels, Coast Guard cutters, and military aircraft have already been deployed in and around Panama.
Among the forces currently operating are the guided-missile cruisers USS Chosin and USS Normandy, the USCGC Kimball, and Marine Corps and Navy aircraft engaged in joint air and maritime drills with Panama.
Despite the US show of force, Panama has repeatedly dismissed allegations of Chinese control. The Panama Canal Authority maintains that the canal is operated solely by Panamanians.
President José Raúl Mulino reaffirmed this stance, calling the canal part of the country’s “inalienable patrimony” and emphasizing that Panama retains full sovereignty over its operation.
Beijing, for its part, framed the US escalation as a provocative and unjustified attempt to interfere in Latin American affairs.
The Chinese Embassy warned against the politicization of infrastructure partnerships and urged Washington to respect Panama’s independence.
“This is all rooted in the United States' own geopolitical interests,” the statement read, asserting that China’s cooperation with Panama poses no threat to the canal’s neutrality or security.
As tensions between Washington and Beijing intensify over influence in Latin America, Panama finds itself caught in the crosshairs of a growing great-power rivalry—while continuing to assert that it alone holds the keys to its historic waterway.
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