Trump has called for the U.S. to take back control of the Panama Canal, warning of heavy Chinese activity in the region.
Sen Ted Cruz (R-Texas) outlines President Trump's case for retaking Panana Canal at the Senate Commerce Committee hearing. Trump has complained about China’s rising influence over the canal and criticised turning over control of the canal to Panama.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Tuesday expressed alarm at China's influence on the Panama Canal, which President Donald Trump has vowed the United States would take back.
Senator Ted Cruz on Tuesday warned against the China's influence on the Panama Canal, saying it poses threat to US national security.
The Tuesday hearing delved into security issues and foreign influence on the foremost maritime channel connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
A Senate panel on Jan. 28 took aim at China’s involvement with operations at the Panama Canal and examined President Donald Trump’s economic strategy linked to travel by U.S. ships through the facility.
The Panama Canal’s future security may depend less on scrutinizing foreign presences and more on rekindling the kind of robust American partnership that made the Canal’s success possible in the first place.
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing Tuesday to discuss the issue of foreign influence in the Panama Canal.
Federal shipping regulators say agricultural trade was particularly affected by last year’s drought in the Panama Canal and that the situation could worsen if the bidding process for access to the critical channel is not amended.
US senators heard sharply different analyses about Chinese influence over the Panama Canal on Wednesday, with some experts suggesting solutions ranging from enhanced trade partnerships to military intervention to regain control of the strategic waterway.