Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamian President José Raúl Mulino on Sunday and laid down the law regarding the Panama Canal.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his intention to end Chinese influence over the key shipping channel, noting that American ships are being charged higher fees than other nations. A Hong Kong-based company currently holds the contract to control the canal, and there's little doubt that CCP politics are playing a role in how things are operated. China is always going to try to press any advantage it can, and this situation is no exception. //

One of the issues here is that the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977, which was created and signed by an incredibly naive (at best) President Jimmy Carter, calls for total neutrality regarding the canal. Handing China control of operations is not neutrality. It's a slap in the face to the United States and its generosity. China did not spend billions of dollars to build the canal, and because it is a geopolitical adversary, it is a national security risk for the communist country to have any involvement outside of paying fees to transit its ships. //

Alex Ward @alexbward
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Panama's President: Panama will not renew the memo 2017 with China on its Belt and Road Initiative. Panama will study the ability to end the agreement earlier than its end date in a year or two.

This comes after SecState Rubio's visit to Panama today.