U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told Panama’s president that the country must reduce Chinese influence over the Panama Canal area or face potential retaliation from the Trump administration.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino in Panama over the weekend, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a readout of their meeting.

Panama City, Panama - 02, 2025 Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said Sunday that in his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he told him that “ the sovereignty of Panama is not in dispute”.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and toured the Panama Canal, which President Donald Trump wants to retake control.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was met by Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha on Sunday (February 2) as he arrived for a meeting with the President Jose Raul Mulino in Panama City.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino Sunday amid his first overseas trip, as the Trump administration makes a push for control of the Panama Canal.

STORY: Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino stressed that sovereignty over his nation's namesake canal is not up for debate after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday."The sovereignty of Panama is not up for debate,

The top diplomat in President Donald Trump's administration, Marco Rubio, began his first foreign visit on Sunday, meeting Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino to discuss U.S. concerns about Chinese companies potentially affecting American shipping access around the Panama Canal and regional migration issues.