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US to 'take back' Panama Canal from Chinese influence, visiting Pentagon chief says

PANAMA CITY, April 8 (Reuters) - The United States will "take back" the Panama Canal from Chinese influence, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday during a visit to the Central American nation.

After talks with Panama's government, Hegseth vowed to deepen security cooperation with Panamanian security forces and said China would not be allowed to "weaponize" the canal by using Chinese firms' commercial relationships for espionage.

Trump has falsely claimed that China is operating the canal, something even Hegseth said was not true on Tuesday, and that Chinese soldiers are present.
But experts acknowledge U.S. security concerns, particularly regarding espionage, with an expansive Chinese commercial presence in Panama that also includes plans by Chinese firms to build a bridge over the canal.
"China has never been involved in the management and operation of the Panama Canal, nor has it ever interfered in the affairs of the canal," said a statement by the Chinese Embassy in Panama.