Hegseth Vows to 'Take Back' Panama Canal

"China did not build this canal. China does not operate this canal. [A]nd China will not weaponize this canal. Together, we will take back the Panama Canal from China's influence." Those were Pete Hegseth's fighting words on Tuesday during his visit to Panama—the first by a US defense secretary in more than 20 years—in which Hegseth met with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino. During his visit, Hegseth warned about the "ongoing threats" from China regarding the Panama Canal, which President Trump has hinted about "reclaiming," reports Axios. More on Hegseth's trip and its implications:

• Making nice: Per Politico, despite Hegseth's harsh words regarding China, he played "carrot, not stick" when it came to how he talked about the Central American nation. "Together with Panama in the lead, we will keep the canal secure and available for all nations through the deterrent power of the strongest, most effective, and most lethal fighting force in the world," Hegseth said Tuesday in a presser.

• More hints of partnership: He added, per Axios: "The United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security cooperation than we have in decades." Bloomberg looks at the interaction similarly, calling Hegseth's tone toward Panama a "cooperative" one.
• A discrepancy: Despite the seemingly conciliatory stance in terms of Panama, there was one important variation in two versions of a joint statement put out by the US and Panamanian governments after Hegseth and Mulino conferred. The Daily Beast notes that in the Spanish version, the following line appears: "Secretary Hegseth recognized the leadership and inalienable sovereignty of Panama over the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas." That line is omitted from the US version.

• China's response: "Who represents the real threat to the Canal? People will make their own judgment," the Chinese government retorted in a "fiery" statement, per the AP. The Chinese Embassy in Panama, meanwhile, noted on X that the US is using "blackmail" to further its own interests and that Panama's business is "something the US doesn't have the right to interfere in."
• Mulino's take: His government's statement after the Hegseth meeting aside, the Panamanian leader has issued past denials that China holds any sway over the canal. "We aren't going to speak about what is not reality, but rather those issues that interest both countries," he said in February, per the AP. Mulino has agreed, however, to allow for an audit that would be shared with the US of Beijing-operated ports at the canal, which the US fears may be being used for surveillance purposes.

(More Panama stories.)