China has been accused of managing key infrastructure in the canal region.
The US is partnering with Panama as part of an effort to secure the Panama Canal and counter the “malicious influence” of the Chinese Communist Party in the region, Defense Secretary Pete Hegses announced on April 9.
US and Panama officials have signed a memorandum on bilateral security issues in the region, helping to expand joint training exercises between the two countries and improve overall interoperability between the military, Hegses said.
The contract also reestablishes the presence of rotating joints at previously operated US military facilities, such as Rodman Naval Base, Howard Air Force Base, and Fort Sherman.
Heggs added that Jungle Operations will be revived at the Operations Center, allowing the US and Panama troops to train side by side.
Authorities also plan to sign another declaration related to the security and operation of the Panama Canal. This provides a framework for US warships and auxiliary vessels to move the canal to “first and freedom,” the Secretary of Defense said.
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Overall, the document signed that it “outlined ways to “reaffirm” the US-Panama’s historic ties, deepen relations, and enhance security cooperation on the bilateral canal.”
Furthermore, the agreement shows that both countries will expand their security ties with regard to information sharing, strengthening cyber cooperation, bilateral security dialogue and improving canal infrastructure.
“The era of communist surrender to Chinese forced coercion is over,” he said, adding that the Chinese regime “cannot stand the growth of strategic land and critical infrastructure in this hemisphere and the growth of hostile control and hostile control.”
This gave the communist regime the possibility of conducting surveillance activities across Panama, saying “it would result in less security, prosperity and less sovereignty in Panama and the United States.”
In response, on April 9, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lyn Zian accused the United States of “bullying” and obstructing the administration’s cooperation with Panama.
The Panama Canal is the second busiest intermarine waterway in the world. More than 40% of US container traffic, worth around $270 billion a year, passes through the canal, making up more than two-thirds of the ships that pass each day.
Hegus’ three-day visit to Panama includes the failure to pay the Central American country about $1.2 billion after the Panama government announced that CK Hutchison’s lease is being audited and concluded there was irregularity in the renewal.
“We firmly believe that respect for legal certainty gives businesses and investors certainty that Panama is a safe country to invest in,” its subsidiary Panama Port Company (PPC) said in a statement. “The PPC continues to seek respectful coordination and consultation to protect concessions that have provided high quality services for the benefit of Panama and the world.”
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to the report.
