NEWS HEADLINES: U.S. Vows to Reclaim Panama Canal from Chinese Influence * 100PercentFedUp.com * by M Winger

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared the U.S. will help Panama take back the canal from China’s grip.

He’s saying Beijing won’t be allowed to “weaponize” the waterway.

Bet China wasn’t too happy about that. (And on top of that over 100% tariff President Trump gave them.)

Hegseth said China didn’t build or operate the canal. And they won’t control it now.

President Trump has made similar warnings and hasn’t ruled out military options.

The visit marks the first by a U.S. defense chief in decades.

WINNING

LATEST: BREAKING: Huge Trump-Hegseth Win as U.S.-Panama Jointly Affirm Shift from China, Secure Canal Traffic, Address Migration.https://t.co/3UrZbyJLdE

— YJA (@Yzo57) April 9, 2025

Reuters reports:

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.

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

“Together, we will take back the Panama Canal from China’s influence,” Hegseth said, speaking at a pier renovated with U.S. assistance in Panama City.
“China did not build this canal. China does not operate this canal and China will not weaponize this canal. Together with Panama in the lead, we will keep the canal secure and available for all nations.”

More than 40% of U.S. container traffic, valued at roughly $270 billion a year, goes through the Panama Canal, accounting for more than two-thirds of vessels passing each day through the world’s second-busiest interoceanic waterway.

Hegseth is expected to get a close-up look at the Panama Canal later on Tuesday, the first full day of a rare visit to a nation still unsettled by Trump’s threats to take back the canal.

While Hegseth spoke about removing Chinese influence, Trump has spoken in broader terms and not ruled out using military force, if necessary.

Hegseth is the first U.S. defense secretary to visit in decades, and his trip follows reports that the Trump administration has requested options from the U.S. military to ensure access to the canal, which the United States built more than a century ago and handed over to Panama in 1999.

Trump has complained that was a bad deal for the United States.
Hegseth was greeted by Panama Public Security Minister Frank Abrego and held closed-door meetings with President Jose Raul Mulino and other officials.

Given Trump’s tough rhetoric, the stakes are high for Hegseth’s visit.
“On the whole, this hasn’t been a winning issue for the United States in terms of public diplomacy in Panama,” said Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Still, current and former U.S. officials and experts say the United States has found a willing partner in tackling Chinese influence in Mulino.

Great visit at the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal.

President @JoseRaulMulino, Minister @frankabregom, we are grateful to you and your teams, along with the Panama Canal Authority, for safeguarding this canal. pic.twitter.com/QmOVQtoqA0

— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) April 9, 2025

Hegseth sets the record straight:

“I want to be very clear: China did not build this canal, China does not operate this canal, and China will not weaponize this canal.”

Secretary of Defense @PeteHegseth spoke out about China’s push to take over the Panama Canal. pic.twitter.com/cqTwU0aQPz

— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) April 8, 2025

Remember this headline?

See also

News Headlines

·04/09/2025·0

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Sort of exposed that China did control the Panama Canal. Not anymore.

BREAKING:

China blocks $23 billion sale of Panama Canal ports to American company BlackRock. pic.twitter.com/3VrMsM6hoB

— Globe Eye News (@GlobeEyeNews) March 31, 2025

And here’s a bonus brainteaser for you:

1. The Panama Canal is 48 miles long.
2. According to NASA and AI, after 48 miles the curve of the earth would drop 1,500+ feet.

Let’s see if the engineers factored that in as they designed it…

I was looking into something interesting!
Panama canal is 80 km long.
In this original design you can see the water level is perfectly flat.
No built in “Earth curve” pic.twitter.com/TXXb3cVXrg

— ƓɾҽվͲօղҟą (@GreyTonka) January 3, 2021

The answer is: Nope. It’s a flat, straight canal. Wonder what that could imply?

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport.

View the original article here.