US-China rivalry over Panama Canal sparks tensions, leaving Panama caught in war of words

Panama on edge as US targets China's canal influence

Panama and the US appear to have agreed to let American warships use the Panama Canal, effectively for free. But beneath the agreement is an ongoing threat to Panamanian sovereignty over the use of the canal.

By Patrick Oppmann, CNN Panama promotes itself as “the bridge of the world, the heart of the universe,” but lately the narrow Central American isthmus and the canal that bears its name, which connects the Atlantic to the Pacific, have become the scene of a bitter confrontation between the world’s two most important economic superpowers. The escalating war of words between the United States and China over the canal has bewildered Panama, which ha…

Under the slogan of "strengthening regional security", Panama and the United States signed a controversial memorandum of understanding on Wednesday that prioritizes the free transit of US military vessels through the Canal and reinstates a rotating presence of troops in former bases of the Central American country. The agreement, concluded by Washington as a geostrategic triumph, lies in an asymmetric exchange: the United States will obtain prio…

US, China clash over ‘wonder of the word’

The US has warned it would not allow China to “threaten” a key waterway and vowed to take it back from “China’s influence”.

US-China rivalry deepens over Panama Canal as Washington pushes new security pact

The Panama Canal is once again at the centre of geopolitical tension, as the United States increases pressure to counter China’s influence in the region.

US-China rivalry over Panama Canal sparks tensions, leaving Panama caught in war of words

Panama promotes itself “as the bridge of the world, heart of the universe” but lately the narrow Central American Isthmus and its namesake canal that joins the Atlantic to the Pacific have become the setting for a bitter clash between the world’s two preeminent economic superpowers.