By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
PANAMA CITY/BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – The United States and Panama have agreed to secure the strategic Panama Canal after Washington expressed concern about China’s perceived threats in the world’s busiest waterway.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino signed a memorandum of understanding “on cooperative security activities” and a declaration on the security and operation of the Panama Canal.
Under the deal, US warships and auxiliary ships will sail “first and free” through the Panama Canal.
Hegseth said the Panama Canal faces ongoing threats from China but that the United States and Panama will keep it secure together.
Following the signing ceremony in Mulino’s palace in Panama City, China quickly condemned the deal.
“Who represents the real threat to the Canal? People will make their own judgment,” Beijing said.
Yet, speaking at a ribbon cutting for a new US-financed dock at the Vasco Nuñez de Balboa Naval Base, after a meeting with Panama President José Raúl Mulino, Hegseth said the U.S. will not allow China or any other country to threaten the canal’s operation.
NATIONAL PRIDE
The Panama Canal is a point of national pride for Panamanians, and officials have said any suspected infringement on their sovereignty is considered problematic.
Sources familiar with the talks said U.S. Defense Department officials flew to Panama to prepare for this week’s high-level talks, hoping to overcome tensions
President Mulino had angrily attacked U.S. President Donald J. Trump for saying he wanted “to retake” the Panama Canal due to China’s influence on the region.
Yet, by the time Hegseth departed the country, he had signed the agreement on Panama Canal cooperation.
In Panama, officials seem to hope this will convince Trump to abandon his plans to annex the waterway.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Gold, mentioned often in Biblical times, appeared a safe- haven for investors fleeing turbulent stock markets amid an unprecedented trade war between the world’s largest economies vying for global dominance.
The standoff between the world’s largest economies turned into a full-fledged trade war Friday, with China raising tariffs on imported goods from the U.S. to 125 percent and claiming further American levies would be seen around the globe as a “joke.”
A Labour Party-run council in England wants to ban Christian street preachers with “an injunction,” or judicial order, that could result in lengthy prison sentences for violators.
Six people, including three children, have died after a sightseeing helicopter crashed into New York City’s Hudson River Thursday, officials confirmed.
President Donald Trump warned that if Iran doesn’t agree to Washington’s terms in the upcoming nuclear talks starting this Saturday, the U.S. might resort to military action, with Israel taking a lead role.
The House approved the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, aimed at enhancing federal election security by restricting noncitizen voting, despite 208 Democrats opposing the measure supported by President Donald Trump.
After securing GOP support, the House passed a budget resolution on Thursday with a narrow 216-214 vote, enabling Congress to advance President Donald Trump’s extensive legislative agenda.